Transporters on indefinite nation-wide strike from today

The indefinite strike called by the head of the state transporters' Association, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) on Wednesday has left the nation in a stage of paralysis. The shutdown was called in the early hours today after the failure of a talk between the AIMTC and the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T R Baalu. With the immediate effect about 48 lakhs trucks have been called off the road across the nation.

The strike is likely to disrupt supplies of food and essential commodities across the country at a time when the government is battling hard to tame inflation, which has soared to 11.42 percent last week, a hike that broke the 13-year record.

The strike has been called on by the truckers association for abolishment of toll tax and rationalisation of duty of diesel. Truck operators are also of the demand of slashing fuel bills as oil firms force them to buy costlier branded fuel.

"No meeting is planned with the government and we are going ahead with the strike to save our business," said Charan Singh Lohara, president of the All India Motor Transport Congress.

Against the truck operators' complaint of forced buying branded fuels, director of marketing at Indian Oil Corp, G C Daga, was to say that the company was selling cheaper normal fuel, and it was available at all its retail outlets on highways except in city, where we were encouraging public to purchase branded fuels.

Earlier in the day, T R Baalu has appealed to the transporters to call off their indefinite strike spreading its tentacles across the nation. “Call off the strike in the interest of the nation and the common man,” the minister appealed to the transporters during his meeting with the representatives of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIAMTC) and the All India Transport Workers' Association (AITWA).

To the AIMTC's demand of scrapping the hike in toll tax with effect from 1st February 2008, Baalu said it could not be possible. Explaining the reason, he said, “the user fee is levied in perpetuity in accordance with the provisions of the National Highways Act, 1956.” Moreover, as against private funded projects, where hike is annual in nature, the rise in public funded projects is made once in five years. That's why it appears to be so high, he added.

Besides a number of issues were discussed between the two sides like multiple toll barriers, speed governors, illegal toll collections etc. As regards illegal tax collections, the Union Minister assured them the stringent action would be taken against any defaulter with the assistance of the concerned state governments.

Despite government's clear assurance to sort out all valid problems of the transporters, an indefinite strike was later in the day been called by the transporters.