Maharashtra truckers calls indefinite strike from July 1 over E-challan penalties
MUMBAI : Lakhs of trucks and other goods carriage vehicles in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra will go on indefinite strike to oppose the E-challan system for traffic violations, and other demands from Tuesday midnight, transporters said.
Goods transporters across Maharashtra bringing the movement of trucks, tempos, tankers, and trailers to a halt. The strike threatens to disrupt essential supply chains, with heavy vehicle operators refusing to back down until the state government addresses their long-pending demands.
The operators of buses, including those involved in ferrying school children, however, announced they would postpone their participation in the strike at the request of Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, who said the warkaris (Lord Vitthal devotees) would face inconvenience as Ashadi Ekadashi is just round the corner.
Taking cognizance of the transporters’ strike, the state government set up a 10-member committee led by Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar to look into the issue.
The Vahatukdar Bachao Kruti Sanghatana, an action committee of the transporters’ associations in the state, said the indefinite strike will begin from midnight as the transporters are frustrated with the e-challans and harassment by the enforcement agencies for recovery of e-challans.
As many as 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh trucks and other goods-carrying vehicles in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra will go on strike after midnight,” said Uday Barge, convener of the action .
However, he made it clear that the transportation of essential items, including milk, vegetables and medicines, has been kept out of the strike’s purview.
Barge further said that the All India Motor Transport Congress, the apex body of transporters in the country, has supported the strike along with the Maharashtra Rajya Truck Tempo Tanker Bus Vahatuk Mahasangh, the All India Bulk LPG Transporter Association, and the Navi Mumbai Transport Association, along with many other transport bodies.
He said that the government did not invite them for any meeting on Tuesday.
heir other demands include stopping the forceful collection of e-challan fines, cancellation of e-challans older than six months, waiving existing penalties, cancelling the mandatory cleaner rule for heavy vehicles, and reconsidering no-entry timings in metro cities, among others.
“As the Uttar Pradesh government has waived old fines issued through e-challans in their state, the Maharashtra government should also consider taking a similar move,” said Kailas Pingle, president of Maharashtra Rajya Motor Malak Sangh, which has also extended support to the strike.
The transporters complain that the recovery process by authorities has become aggressive and is disrupting business operations, besides mounting fines of e-challans.
Harsh Kotak, a leader of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana, one of the bodies of bus operators, told PTI that earlier in the day a meeting was held to take a decision about participation in the strike.
At that time, CM Fadnavis requested the bus operators over the phone not to go on strike to avoid troubles for the warkaris, as Ashadi Ekadashi is just a few days away.
“We have decided to postpone our participation in the strike till the midnight of July 6,” Kotak said.
Deepak Naik, president of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sanghatana, said that they have extended their support to the strike and they will express their protest by tying black flags to buses in this period.
The School Bus Owners’ Association, a body of school bus operators, also said that both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik have assured them they will address their grievances with due seriousness.
“Respecting the positive intent shown by the government, the committee has decided to postpone the strike and pursue the matter through the channel of dialogue and negotiation,” Anil Garg, leader of the School Bus Owners’ Association, said in a statement issued after a meeting.
In view of the transporters’ strike call, the state government formed the 10-member committee with senior officers from the Mumbai Traffic Police, Highway Police, and Motor Vehicles Department as its members along with leaders of transport associations.
According to the Government Resolution (GR) issued late Tuesday night, the committee will submit its report within a month.
On June 26, Maharashtra Transport Minister Shri Pratap Sarnaik had assured the formation of the committee.
From June 16, the transporters had started an indefinite sit-in protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan to press their demands about e-challan and other issues. Finally, they ended the protest on June 24, after Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant assured them he would convene a meeting to resolve their issues.
In the meeting held the next day, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and Industries Minister Uday Samant assured them that a committee would be formed to look into the demands. The transporters, however, remained firm on their stand of going on strike from the start of July as they were not going to get relief from the recovery of e-challans older than six months, which they are demanding to withdraw.
A meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is scheduled for later today (July 2) to address the transporters’ concerns.