Quicktakes

Truckers talks with Govt deadlocked

NEW DELHI: prospects of an early end to the truckers agitation suffered a setback today as talks between the All India motor Transport Congress, which called the stir, and the government saw the two sides sticking to their respective stands. Movement of goods across the country was affected by the strike, resulting in a sharp increase in prices of vegetables and other perishable goods. The truck owners8217; association in North Bengal withdrew the strike while the Kerala Association offered a withdrawal making it conditional to state government8217;s agreeing to hike in freight charges. The AIMTC and the government held the first round of talks since the strike began on October 21 but it failed to produce an agreement with AIMTC sticking to their demand for a rollback on the increase in price of diesel and the government firmly rejecting it.