Truck operators' strike in Maharashtra continues on day 2

Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) The indefinite strike called by truck operators in Maharashtra against the e-challan system of fine recovery will intensify on Friday with more associations likely to join, one of their leaders said.

Uday Barge, convener of the Vahatukdar Bachao Kruti Sanghatana, an action committee of transporters, told PTI on Thursday evening that as there was no response from the government to their demands, the strike would continue.

Demanding relief from `indiscriminate' issuance of e-challans (direction to pay fine for violation of rules) by traffic police, truckers went on a strike from Wednesday. Though bus operators have supported the strike, they have not joined it in response to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's appeal.

The key demands of transporters include scrapping of e-challans older than a few months, halt to coercive recovery measures and waiver of existing fines, among others.

Another transport operator said truckers from various parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region participated in a meeting in Navi Mumbai, and decided to continue the strike until the government agreed to their main demand.

Leaders of transport associations claimed that the movement of goods to and from both Mumbai and the JNPT ports had stopped, as all trucks and other goods vehicles remained off the road. In Pune too, the impact of the strike was clearly visible.

"Not a single vehicle has been loaded at either port. All the parking terminals were full, and transporters participated in the strike in many districts of the state," said Baba Shinde, a transporters' leader.

On Wednesday, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik met with transporters' leaders at the legislature complex and urged them to call off the strike. He assured them that a committee had been set up to look into their grievances and would submit a report within a month.

Following the meeting, the Transport Commissioner's office issued three circulars -- on bus parking norms, exemption from action against school buses and speed-limiting devices. However, the agitating truckers said the main issue of bulk e-challans remained unaddressed. PTI KK KRK