Punjab CM supports truckers demands
CHANDIGARH: Almost one lakh trucks in Punjab and 3,000 in Chandigarh will stop transporting goods from Wednesday midnight as the truck operators of both the states have decided to join the indefinite strike call given by All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has fully supported the demands of transporters who are going to observe an indefinite strike at national level. He said that all their demands were genuine and should be accepted  by the center. He said that toll tax and service tax imposed on transporters was in center's purview and it should be withdrawn. He said that he was ready to except state level demands of truckers, if they have any.

Truck operators of both Punjab and Chandigarh have even stopped booking of dispatching goods to other states from Tuesday itself, a move that would adversely affect the movement of industrial goods as well as essential items such as vegetables and fruits in both the places.

"We have stopped taking new orders for the transportation of goods from today as we are supporting the indefinite strike call announced by AIMTC which would start from Wednesday onwards," Punjab State Goods Transporters Association General Secretary Sarabjit Singh said on Tuesday while demanding from the government to resolve truckers' issues at the earliest.

Similarly, truck operators of Chandigarh under the banner of Chandigarh Transporters Association are not booking new orders.

AIMTC had announced to observe indefinite nationwide strike from July 2 unless the Union Government agreed to its demands, including abolition of toll tax, excluding sub-contractors of transport companies from the preview of service tax.

Truckers have even claimed to have got the support of tempos, booking agents for the strike call. "We have even got the support of tempo operators who ply their vehicles within and around the city for transporting vegetables and fruits," said Singh.

Meanwhile, Engineering Export Promotion Council Regional Chairman S C Ralhan said, "The transporters' strike would badly hit the domestic as well as export trade as truck operators play a vital role in the transportation of goods across the country."