Truckers refuse to give in

The impasse over the transporters’ strike continues, with the All India Motor Transport Congress vowing to fight till its demands are met, reports Atul Mathur.

The impasse over the transporters’ strike continues, with the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) vowing to fight till its demands are met. “The chakka jam is peaceful, but the government’s aggressive attitude could worsen the situation,” AIMTC vice president P. Gopal Naidu said.

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AIMTC members said they were still ready to talk to the government but talks were not possible with five of their six office bearers in jail.

The centre, however, claimed the strike has fizzled out, with truckers calling it off in Maharashtra and intra-state transportation resuming in certain districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the central government called a meeting of transport ministers of all states to discuss the situation. Transport secretary Brahm Dutt said the government has advised all states to keep contingency plans ready and invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act where required, so that supply of essential commodities is not affected.

“Several state governments have said they’ve prepared contingency plans for the situation” Dutt said.

On Sunday, Dutt also accepted, for the first time, the inter-state movement of goods was hit by the stir. Though the prices of vegetables and other commodities have remained stable in the past week, he said that merchants have pushed up the prices.