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Truck strike, Day 5: Talks only if govt negotiates diesel hike, says Transport Congress

Chances of an early end to the five-day-old nation-wide truckers strike waned today with the All India Motor Transport Congress ruling out further talks with the government unless it was willing to negotiate the diesel price hike.

The Transport Congress had, without assigning any reason, stayed away from the proposed talks yesterday with the surface transport ministry, following the government stand at Saturday's meeting that the demand for withdrawal of the diesel hike was not negotiable.

''We are always willing to resume our meeting with the Union government provided the government is willing to discuss the hike in diesel price,'' AIMTC secretary-general J M Saksena said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, prices of vegetables and other essential commodities continued to soar in some parts of the country, triggering panic buying.

Admitting that the Transport Congress had agreed to linking the retail price of diesel to its rate in the international oil market, he said the cost of diesel had gone up by as much as Rs 4 in Tamil Nadu against an escalation of a mere Rs 1.65 in the import cost.

This was because of customs duty (30 per cent), excise duty (16 per cent), sales tax (varying from 11 to 21 per cent) and refining cost. Due to the hike in the basic price, there was pro-rata increase in levies.

The diesel hike could be withdrawn by bringing down the sales tax to a uniform four per cent across the country, Saksena said. A cut in the sales tax rate would not lead to a fall in revenue for the state governments as diesel consumption would go up if the hike was rolled back, the Transport Congress argued.

Referring to the hardship the strike was causing to the common man, Saksena said the 70 million transport workers, constituting about seven per cent of the population, were the worst affected by the agitation as they stand to lose their income.

Centre rules out rollback of diesel hike

The central government today said the supply of essential commodities has not been affected by the nationwide truckers strike and ruled out withdrawal of the diesel price hike.

''There has been no shortage of LPG, foodgrains and edible oils while large movements of goods have been reported from a number of states,'' an official press note said.

According to the official release, the strike was called off in Madhya Pradesh yesterday, while it is partial in Andhra Pradesh and a contingency plan has been drawn by the state government to requisition vehicles, if necessary.

In Bihar, the Motor Transport Federation has decided to go on strike from October 29, while the movement of goods in Delhi varied between 70 per cent in case of local vehicles and 30 per cent on GT Karnal Road.

The strike did not have much impact in Haryana either, with heavy vehicles ensuring supply of essential commodities. However, there is a marginal increase in the prices of vegetables.

In Himachal Pradesh, vegetable prices are normal and essential items are available.

Light commercial vehicles are operating in Punjab where vegetables are available at ''low'' prices, while the situation is normal in Rajasthan. Vegetables have become ''slightly'' dearer in Tamil Nadu where police protection is being provided for supply of petroleum products.

In West Bengal, prices have been affected slightly and district authorities have been instructed to requisition vehicles for transportation of essentials.

The government has already made it clear that there would be no rollback as the increase was necessitated by the increase in international prices, it said.

Use passenger buses to move essentials, Centre tells states

The central government urged the states to utilise passenger buses and other local transport for moving essential commodities in the wake of the ongoing strike by truck operators.

In a letter addressed to all chief ministers of state and Union Territories, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Shanta Kumar impressed upon the need for using all locally available transportation facilities for moving commodities including vegetables from growing areas to nearby markets.

The minister also desired that the state civil supplies corporations should use their trucks for transporting essential commodities.

Shanta Kumar has in his letter further requested the state governments to take stringent action against hoarders and those who indulge in unfair trade practices under the Essential Commodities Act and the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act.

The minister, who reviewed the situation of availability and market prices of essential commodities in the markets all over the country in New Delhi today, was informed by senior officials of the ministry that foodgrains stocking position is absolutely comfortable in all states and Union Territories for meeting the requirements of public distribution system for three to six months.

Tractors and trolleys are also liberally being used for meeting the requirement of PDS and foodgrains procurement operations.

The supply of onions from Nashik and Gujarat has been effected due to non-operation of trucks on long routes. The situation is more or less the same in respect of potatoes and tomatoes.

UNI

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