Bihar transporters suspend Oct 2 strike

Decision to suspend the strike was taken at a meeting of BMTF after talks with the Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Vijay Kumar Chaudhary

The Bihar transport association on Wednesday announced to suspend its proposed one-day strike on Gandhi Jayanti called in protest against "harassment" of owners, drivers and carriers in the name of prohibition.

The decision to suspend the strike was taken at a meeting of Bihar Motor Transport Federation (BMTF) after talks with the Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.

BMTF President Uday Shankar Prasad Singh said in a statement here that the Speaker told the delegation that communication has been sent to every district not to harass unnecessarily operators, drivers and assistants of commercial vehicles including buses, trucks, tempos and autos.

Singh said the transporters support liquor ban and to promote total prohibition in Bihar. Posters would be pasted in all commercial vehicles against liquor.

Angry over arrest of over a dozen owners, drivers and carriers across Bihar after seizure of liquor from other people on board their vehicles, the Bihar Motor Transport Federation had on August 22 decided to observe a one-day strike on October 2 in the state.

The Federation chief had said 1.25 lakh truckers, 40,000 bus owners and its employees, 25,000 carriers of four-wheeler and nearly one lakh tempo owners would keep the vehicles off the road on October 2 in protest.

The Federation had claimed that more than four dozen buses and trucks have been impounded in different police stations in the state on this ground, he claimed.

Singh admitted reduction in cases of harassment of commercial vehicles operators and staff in the name of prohibition.