Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP from Bathinda in Punjab, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on Saturday appealed to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar to take up the issue of freezing of work visas of all foreign truck drivers by the US following a fatal crash involving a Punjabi trucker.
An Indian-origin truck driver is facing charges of vehicular homicide in the US after three persons were killed when he allegedly took a wrong turn while driving a truck on a Florida highway, according to a media report.
Harjinder Singh, 28, who fled to California after the incident, has been brought back to Florida following arrest, the New York Post reported on Thursday. Singh hails from Punjab.
Over a week after the incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause to all issuances of commercial truck driver work visas.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers, Rubio posted on social media.
Reacting to the developments, Badal said they would have a catastrophic effect on Punjabi families who were the backbone of the trucking business in the United States.
She said there was an apprehension that a number of Punjabis who were in the trucking industry may be forced to leave the US.
"Punjabi and Sikh drivers make up 20 per cent of the United States' trucking industry, with around 1.5 lakh Sikh drivers engaging in trucking in the US. Any mass-level action against them would have a detrimental effect on trucking families and would be discriminatory in nature, considering the fact that Punjabis have built and sustained trucking logistics and trucking networks over decades".
She urged the EAM to take appropriate steps to allay the fears and alleviate the stress of driver shortages on American consumers and its economy. She also urged him to convey to the US government that the Punjabi community had played a vital role in meeting the high demand for drivers.
Badal said accordingly, it should be stressed that a mistake by one driver, which had resulted in a fatal accident, should not be used to punish the entire community.
The MP requested the minister to ensure that counsellor access was provided to Harjinder Singh, who had been arrested on three counts of vehicular homicide, so that his case could be pleaded appropriately.
Reacting to the new executive order detailing new English language proficiency rules for all truckers, Badal urged the minister to take up the issue of giving foreign drivers, including Punjabis, time to upgrade their English language skills to the required level.
"Those failing such proficiency tests should be allowed to apply for the same again so that their means of livelihood are not taken away from them completely," she added. PTI
An Indian-origin truck driver is facing charges of vehicular homicide in the US after three persons were killed when he allegedly took a wrong turn while driving a truck on a Florida highway, according to a media report.
Harjinder Singh, 28, who fled to California after the incident, has been brought back to Florida following arrest, the New York Post reported on Thursday. Singh hails from Punjab.
Over a week after the incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause to all issuances of commercial truck driver work visas.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers, Rubio posted on social media.
Reacting to the developments, Badal said they would have a catastrophic effect on Punjabi families who were the backbone of the trucking business in the United States.
She said there was an apprehension that a number of Punjabis who were in the trucking industry may be forced to leave the US.
"Punjabi and Sikh drivers make up 20 per cent of the United States' trucking industry, with around 1.5 lakh Sikh drivers engaging in trucking in the US. Any mass-level action against them would have a detrimental effect on trucking families and would be discriminatory in nature, considering the fact that Punjabis have built and sustained trucking logistics and trucking networks over decades".
She urged the EAM to take appropriate steps to allay the fears and alleviate the stress of driver shortages on American consumers and its economy. She also urged him to convey to the US government that the Punjabi community had played a vital role in meeting the high demand for drivers.
Badal said accordingly, it should be stressed that a mistake by one driver, which had resulted in a fatal accident, should not be used to punish the entire community.
The MP requested the minister to ensure that counsellor access was provided to Harjinder Singh, who had been arrested on three counts of vehicular homicide, so that his case could be pleaded appropriately.
Reacting to the new executive order detailing new English language proficiency rules for all truckers, Badal urged the minister to take up the issue of giving foreign drivers, including Punjabis, time to upgrade their English language skills to the required level.
"Those failing such proficiency tests should be allowed to apply for the same again so that their means of livelihood are not taken away from them completely," she added. PTI
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