Truckers' association calls off strike for now

The national truckers' organisation on Friday temporarily called off their strike, claiming to have received a communication from the Union Road Transport Ministry promising a meeting.

"We received call from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's office and they have called us to talk... We have temporarily called off the strike because it was affecting truckers and people both," ACOGOA General Secretary Kausar Hussain told IANS.

The All India Confederation of Goods Vehicles Owners' Association (ACOGOA), that had called a nationwide strike on June 18 against the high diesel prices, high toll rates and a sharp hike of third party insurance premium, said they have received assurance of a meeting after June 27.

"We have received telephone call from central ministry, that since the minister is not in station till June 27, to call off the strike... In view of this and in the public interest, we have postponed the truckers strike," said a statement from ACOGOA president B. Channa Reddy.

Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is currently in Tajikistan.

Many truck owners and operators including from West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan were on strike.

The ACOGOA had claimed that some 40 lakh trucks were off the roads across the country on June 18, causing over Rs 800 crore revenue loss to the exchequer.

--IANS

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