Trucks go off the road as transporters strike

As talks among representatives of the union surface transport ministry and the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) failed, 70 lakh trucks will go off roads from today. The talks were held between AIMTC and transport ministry officers were led by joint secretary S K Dash.

President of the AIMTC Charan Singh Lohara said all trucks in the country would be off the roads  till its demands were conceded. He said the ultimatum for the strike was served on the union government on 17 December 2008 following a meeting of the AIMTC at Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

The truckers wanted at least Rs10 per litre cut in diesel price and economic package for all truckers of the country. Their main grouse was that whereas the union government had cut  the price of air traffic fuel eighth time in the past two months, bringing it down to Rs29 per litre from Rs74 per litre, the price of diesel, which was used by truckers, farmers, industry and other small transporters, had been reduced by Rs2 per litre only.

Anther major demand of the truckers is to break the alleged cartel of tyre companies, which have raised tyre prices from Rs17,000 to Rs27,000 per pair. Despite a 40 per cent to 70 per cent fall in the prices of rubber in international market, price of tyres had not been lowered by the companies.

Transporters also want a moratorium on all instalments and waiver of interest on truck finance for a period of least six months.

The strike is expected to disrupt supplies of essential commodities, transporters have assured that the strike will not apply to vehicles bringing in such commodities. 

The strike is estimated to have caused a daily loss of over Rs1,500 crore as road transport accounts for nearly 75 per cent of the movement of cargo like cement, fertilisers, food grain and steel, household FMCG products, electronics and white goods, vegetables and food stuff.