Truck operators threaten to go on strike

KOLKATA: The Federation of West Bengal Truck Operators'' Association has threatened to go on an indefinite strike from August 26 if their meeting with state transport minister Subhas Chakraborty on Monday fails.
This strike will begin on August 26 to express solidarity with the three-day strike called by the bus owners'' associations. “We had a meeting with the Bengal bus syndicate president SK Saha on Saturday and we agreed to begin the strike on the same day.But, since our demands are longstanding, our strike will go on beyond the three days,� said association general secretary Satyajit Majumdar.
Also joining the strike are other commercial vehicle associations including matador, tempo trailers and tankers as well as buses carrying school and office goers. During the last strike, tankers had come back on duty earlier because petrol pumps had been running dry. “We have spoken to tanker operators’ association president Shyamal Ray and he has agreed to join for the first leg,� Majumdar said.
The associations pet grouse -— fixation of minimum freight rates, prevention of overloading and decentralisation of the national permit -— will feature in the agenda for meeting with Chakraborty on August 18. Along with it, will be the ''unreasonable and impossible'' cess and taxes imposed on the sector.
“Many operators are unable to pay the existing quarterly dues of Rs 1,547. How will they pay the enhanced Rs 2,600?� said Majumdar. According to him, the state government has increased more taxes in the last year than it has in the past 24. There are over 2.5 lakh trucks in the state and it is estimated that each of them would lose about Rs 500 per day for each day of the strike.
The transport strike will be preceeded by a 24 hour Bangla bandh on August 21 called by SUCI and CPI(ML) Liberation. The Left Front has decided to strongly oppose both the Bangla bandh and the transport strikes. The SUCI, however, said during the day that they would stick to their decision.