Truckers go on nationwide strike after talks

The nation-wide strike of transport operators began peacefully in Gujarat on Monday after talks with the Central government remained inconclusive till Sunday night.

The nation-wide strike of transport operators began peacefully in Gujarat on Monday after talks with the Central government remained inconclusive till Sunday night. The strike began from midnight and is expected to gain momentum in a couple of days,said striking transport operators. On the first day,the success of the strike was nearly 85 per cent.

Mukesh Dave,secretary of Akhil Gujarat Truck Transport Association, said there was no commotion or harassment of drivers on the first day because they wanted to project their own discipline. “We are forced to stop operations because they are proving unviable,” Dave said when asked about the situation in the state. He said that in any case,30-40 per cent of operations were anyhow shut because of the downtrend. In Gujarat,there are 3.63 lakh registered transport vehicles,including 2.15 lakh trucks,he added.

The state Civil Supplies department is keeping a close watch on the developments and necessary action will be taken if the situation turns serious. Milk and vegetable supplies will not be affected due to their availability within the districts and which do not require large vehicles for transportation.

Transporters have gone on an indefinite strike to press for lowering of diesel prices by Rs 10 per litre and withdrawal of service tax on truckers. They also want a moratorium of a minimum of six months on all instalments and interest waiver on truck finance. The ultimatum for Monday’s strike was served to the Central government on December 17 after a meeting of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) at Indore.

Transporters have also demanded that the government should introduce a bailout package for the transport sector to address issues like high price of diesel,tyres,and permits. Their wish list also includes levying uniform 4 per cent value added tax on diesel,scrapping of certain requirements in the new Carriers Act,reducing tyre prices by 30 to 35 per cent and rollback of national permit fees from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,500.

It is also demanded that as part of the bailout package,the tenure of loans for trucks and carriers should be increased,as in the current scenario owners cannot even pay back the loans.

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