THE ALL India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) declared strike on January 5 has received unanimous support from various truck, trailer, tempo and commercial goods carrier vehicle owners and associations
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Prakash Gawli of Maharashtra Rajya Truck, Tempo, Tanker, Bus Vahatuk Mahasang said, "The states of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka have just joined us on Saturday evening. The strike will spread nationwide on Monday as people realise it will be beneficial for all."
"The last carrier transport strike took place on July 2 and was called off after the state government intervened on the midnight of July 4. The government had made some promises and they did not keep up to it," said N L Gupta, spokesperson, AIMTC.
Clarifying that the strike was the last resort and that consumers would benefit Girish Agarwal, general secretary, Bombay Goods Transport Association said, "If the diesel prices reduce the prices of consumer goods will also reduce. The government themselves will benefit. Besides we are not forcing anyone to join the strike, they are joining voluntarily."
u00a0Ashok Walunj, member of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Vashi said, "If the strike carries on for two days or more the price of fruits and vegetables will definitely increase by 50 per cent. There is also possibility that the consumers will stock up and buy out commodities, thus creating shortage of goods.
Consumers have just woken up to the possibility of shortage on Saturday. The effects will be seen on Monday."
According to Mohinder Singh Ghura, honorary general secretary, Maharashtra Heavy Goods Vehicle Owner's Association, after a while the strikers will on finalise certain essentials like medicine which will be exempted from the strike. Though as of now none of the associations could confirm if essentials would be exempted. "Some of the milk supply of the city is in the hands of commercial goods carriers so it will be affected. There may be shortage of medicines at the beginning of the strike."
The state transport commissioner, Deepak Kapoor on being contacted refused to comment on anything related to the strike.
Goods carrier transporter's demands:
>>Reduce the price of diesel by Rs 10 per litre
>>Reduce import duty on tires
>>There should not be service tax on transporters as they are service providers not service takers
>>The national permit fee, which is applicable when trucks move from one state to another should be reduced from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,500.
>>Toll tax should be equal everywhere and should not be increased until the committee on toll finalises its decision.
>>The new carrier act should not include deregistration of goods carrier vehicles.
>>There are various packages to bail out industries like pharma in this time of the economic slowdown. There should be bail out packages for this industry as well, in which the repayment of loan installments should be stalled for a year till the market crisis is over.
>>Truckers should not be treated as sub-contractors and thus, there should be no TDS on truckers' salaries.
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