Mumbai, Mar 05: Indefinite strike by truckers enters into second day today. State govt has invoked ESMA against the striking employees. While government has claimed that the situation is under control, the strike has affected wholesale supply of essential commodities in the city. Meanwhile, All India Motor Transporters’ Congress has threatened nationwide strike in favour of their Mumbai counterparts.
Maharashtra government has permitted state transport corporation buses to allow the transport of perishable and other commodities into the city as an added measure to maintain stocks.
Around 20,000 light and heavy vehicles in Mumbai went on an indefinite strike Wednesday night after the Bombay High Court refused to allow petrol or diesel run vehicles to ply in the city without converting to CNG or LPG modes.
The court had refused to ply more than eight-year-old vehicles running on petrol and diesel engine unless they were converted to environment friendly fuel and extended the conversion deadline till December 2004.
Jatindra Singh Rekhi, General Secretary of Vahan Bachao Samiti said that the transporters have decided to go on an indefinite strike as their prayer of extension of time to ply the vehicles had not been considered.
Earlier, the Court had ordered phasing out of these vehicles by December 2003 on a public interest litigation filed by Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG). The transporters said there were many vehicles as against ten agencies who retrofit the engines and retrofitting of all the vehicles would take at least two years because the agencies can retrofit only 500 vehicles in a month. There are 13,889 three wheelers and four wheelers in light motor vehicle category, 7,507 trucks, tempos and trailers in heavy motor vehicles category and 2,365 private buses.
Bureau Report