Mumbai faces shortages due to traders` strike

Mumbai: Traders continued their strike for the sixth day Saturday protesting against the Local Body Tax as shortages of goods began pinching the people.

"The strike continues. There is no change in our stand that we do not want LBT," Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) president Mohan Gurnani said. Buoyed by an apex court ruling Friday, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said there was no question of scrapping LBT. The stalemate has started hitting consumers, leading to shortages of various household goods, grocery, fresh fruits and vegetables. The FAM and its associate bodies want the government to abolish the LBT, which replaced the traditional octroi since April 1 in most civic bodies. Chavan has repeatedly appealed to the trading community to "stop misleading" people on the LBT and reiterated that its implementation would be decided by the legislature. "The government will move forward after discussing it with trader associations. But the traders should not harass the people," Chavan said. While LBT has been implemented in most parts of Maharashtra from April 1, it is due to be imposed in Mumbai from Oct 1. IANS