Truckers' stir off in many areas: Govt

The All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) today vowed to carry on with its week-long stir till its demands were met, amid claims by the government that the strike had fizzled out with truckers calling it off in many cities, including Pune and Jaipur.

The Centre, which has also refused to give in to the demands of the transporters, has called a meeting of state transport ministers tomorrow to deal with the situation.

“Our strike will continue till our demands are met,” a top AIMTC official said. He, however, said the AIMTC was ready for talks with the government in response to calls made by Transport Minister T R Baalu yesterday. “We are willing to talk to the government provided they invite us in a constitutional manner but not by forcing us like the arrest of our leaders. We reiterate that the PM should intervene to bring an end to this strike,” he said, adding that the arrested leaders should be released.

Earlier in the day, Transport Secretary Brahm Dutt said that truckers in many parts, including Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur and Hasan (in Karnataka) had withdrawn their strike resulting in restoration of normal supplies.

Maharashtra Rajya Truck, Tempo, Tankers, Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh, representing 230 transport associations, said it had withdrawn from the strike. Dutt, however, said inter-state movement of goods as well as transportation of industrial products were affected due to the ongoing strike, while warning the agitating truckers that more states would invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

Haryana today joined the group of states invoking ESMA, which includes Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa and Madhya Pradesh.

Unwilling to give in to the demands of the agitating truckers, the Centre has asked states to handle the week-long strike with “firm and effective” action, just as they did to end the recent stir by PSU oil officers.

Taking note of the situation arising out of the truckers’ strike, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar has written to the states for ensuring free movement of essential commodities and prevent hoarding of goods by “unscrupulous traders”, according to official sources.

The Centre has convened a meeting of all state transport ministers tomorrow to discuss the demands of agitating truckers.

Yesterday, the government claimed that the All-India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners’ Association, the rival body of AIMTC, had given an assurance to extend complete support for supply of goods. The Centre had earlier advised states to “identify” 1.5-2 million vehicles that could be impounded and plied by employing retired drivers in public sector undertakings and other government offices.