Truckers begin nationwide indefinite strike from today

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, July 20

Trucks across the country are off the roads as transporters began an indefinite strike from Friday morning.

The All India Motor Transport Congress, the apex body of transporters, which is spearheading the strike, is demanding that diesel be brought under the GST regime so that there is uniformity in pricing across the country.

"Bringing diesel under GST will bring down its price and benefit vehicle users," Bal Malkit Singh, Chairman, AIMTC said in a statement released here on Thursday.

The truckers say, implementation of GST has not entirely solved the problem of long wait at state borders since there are multiple toll plazas across the country which charge high rates for transport of goods.

AIMTC estimates that more than 93 lakh trucks and buses are off the roads from 6 AM on Friday. The truckers estimate that they stand to lose Rs 4,000 crore daily on account of the strike.

So far, meetings between the truckers and senior union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal have failed to yield results.

The strike has also affected private school buses and chartered buses, which ferry people to offices in Mumbai and other cities.

According to the School Bus and Company Bus Owners Association of Maharashtra 40,000 buses are off the roads across the state only for today to express solidarity with the striking truckers.

AIMTC office bearers say buses will resume plying from Saturday onwards.