Local transporters hike rates by 40%

In Ahmedabad, meanwhile, 200 office-bearers representing all the truck operators of the State passed a unanimous resolution supporting an indefinite strike at a meeting held under the aegis of the AGTTA on Thursday.

“We have been forced to take this decision because the memorandum detailing our demands vis-a-vis the excesses of RTO officials and the police which we submitted to Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel on September 29 has not elicited any response so far,” Association president Nandlal Thaper said.

He said over one lakh trucks all over the State would strike work from October 21 until their demands regarding the RTO Department and police were accepted by the State Government.

The memorandum submitted by AGTTA to the Chief Minister mainly covers four issues: toll tax, road tax, penalty and highway robbery. The Association has demanded appropriate action against RTO inspectors and traffic police who, under the pretext of collecting toll tax from drivers, seize their papers and detain the vehicles for several days. “As a result, truck operators end up getting neither the fare for transported goods from goods merchants nor their papers from the traffic police and RTO officials,” the memorandum has stated.

Besides, truck operators have accused RTO officials of charging excess toll tax from truck drivers at Vapi bridge and at the Surat-Kudodra highway. “Similarly, RTO officials have not stopped collecting toll tax for the Bharuch-Narud bridge though the bridge was constructed several years ago,” the AGTTA has alleged.

They have also demanded that road tax be reduced from Rs 12,000 to at least Rs 6,000 to enable truck operator compete with their counterparts in Rajasthan and Haryana where road tax is Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000 only.

Similarly, truckers have to pay a whopping amount of Rs 2,000 and Rs 10,000 as penalty for carrying goods above the specified limit. “The heavy penalty has resulted in large scale corruption and it should therefore be reduced,” the memo says.

It has also demanded that the State Government provide security to truck drivers who often become victims of highway robberies.

Meanwhile, the demand for trucks and lorries in Vadodara and surrounding industrial areas have gone up in view of the threatened strike. Sources said that industries like Birla Copper, Reliance, Gujarat State Fertiliser Corporation, Gujarat Alkalies and Chemical Limited, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation have requisitioned more trucks to reach their products to their customers before the strike began.

Garba Diary
Stepping up, standing out: The Arkee garbas (now known, of course, as Ma Shakti) were always known for being different in terms of dancers. This year is no exception. There’s one group, in particular, that has caught the eye. The 10 members of this group have evolved a unique step — one count in front and 24 counts behind and left their mark on this Navratri.

The Right Line: The favourite number at Ma Shakti this year continues to be He maro saibo. After every line the dancers wait to shout the favourite one-liner saibo ne saro maro saibo. Plenty of rock-concert practice, obviously…

Ditch The Deadline: Did anyone mention deadlines? Officially, loudspeakers are permitted only till 1.30 a.m. The problem is, most dancers and, indeed, the crowd land up only after the interval, at 11.30 p.m. It would be very hard-hearted, of course, to close down at closing time, so the limit is comfortably extended. And all participants, whether they’ve been dancing from the very first round or later on, wait till the end that is the ramjhaniyo.

Who’s Where, Why: Garbas are usually identified with a particular kind of people, who come for a particular purpose. So those at United Way are there to see and be seen, the city’s creme de la creme. Those at Ma Shakti, however, are there to dance. The main attraction is the Rishabh group, and even the faintest vocal stirrings by the main singer Achal Mehta are enough to force the tempo.