‘Address demands or will suspend services’: Transporters give 14-day ultimatum to Centre

The lockdown and related stress on the sector have already led to huge losses. Representation pic

Transporters are giving a 14-day ultimatum to the central government to address their key demands, including the issue of fuel hike, or they will completely suspend their services nationwide.

Bal Malkit Singh, chairman of the core committee and former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), told mid-day they will submit the notice to the Centre on Monday, February 15. The shutdown of the services would have a massive impact on essential commodities services and the supply chain.

Their key demands include immediate reduction of diesel prices by cutting central taxes, and an advisory to states to cut the value added tax, uniformity of diesel prices across the country and their quarterly revision, immediate resolution of issues related to e-way bill and GST, discussion on vehicle scrapping policy with the transport fraternity before its roll-out and revoking of tax deducted at source (TDS) and rationalisation of presumptive tax that are already agreed upon in principle.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the AIMTC's governing council on Saturday. "Rising diesel prices, excessive taxation, issues related to e-way bill, harassment, corruption, present state of scrapping policy, and many other key issues were discussed and deliberated upon," said Singh. There was a unanimous demand to pass an immediate resolution calling for an indefinite suspension of operations to force the government to wake up to the critical condition of the sector and suffering of crores of people associated with it. The national leadership has decided to issue a notice to the government," he said.

The lockdown and related stress have already led to huge losses and is having a back-breaking impact on the road transport sector of India, Singh added.