Adamant government takes anti-people law route to reopen truckers strike

NEW DELHI: As the strike by transporters all over the country enters the seventh day, instead of reducing the price of diesel which has seen a substantial fall in the international market and which was part of the agreement between the AIMTC and the Transport ministry, way back in July last year, the government has supplanted the Essential Maintenance Services Act (ESMA) and arrested key functionaries of the century old All India Motor Transport Congress –president Charan Singh Lohara and secretary Mr. Venugopal.

With more than 2 million trucks off the road, the strike has given hoarders an opportunity to fleece customers and prices of vegetables and other daily use items have skyrocketed all over the country. On the one hand, the government has offered to talk to the transport bodies all over the country and on the other hand has offered a nominal reduction of Rupees 3 per litre in the price of diesel at a later date.

Like in all other difficult situations, the reaction of the government has been knee-jerk.

The government has enlisted the services of striking truckers\' rival union and asked states to invoke ESMA to arrest those disrupting goods movement.

While the Transport Minister, Mr. Baalu is recalcitrant and in no mood to accept the proposal of the transporters to reduce the price of diesel by Rs 10 per litre, exemption in service and toll taxes and a single permit for nationwide transportation.

Given the arrest of their leaders, the transporters are in no mood to talk and the minister has also called for an urgent meeting of all state transport commissioners on Monday to discuss measures to tackle the nationwide stir.

11 January 2009

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