NEW DELHI: The six day old truckers” strike was called off Avg.6 after “path kar” was abolished with immediate effect by the governments of eight States where it was in force.
On the second main demand of the truckers”, that of removal of octroi, the Government has agreed to take a decision within six months from Aug.18, when the Jyoti Basu Committee, set up to sort out the issue, would be meeting. The Transport Development Council would also meet on the same day to discuss the issue of enhancement of composite fee on national permit which the truckers claimed was a “separate issue.”
That the truckers’ indefinite strike had been called off was announced by “All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) secretary general Chittranjan Dass.
The truckers” had gone an indefinite strike on the midnight of July 31 after the failure of talks between the Government and the transporters to avert it failed, The strike had since then been a major drain on the economy, The supply Of essential commodities and industrial production had been hit hard, though the Government was not ready to admit that.
After negotiations were deadlocked, the Government and the All India Motor Transport Congress spent five days hurling charges at each other, both blaming the other for the stalemate. Some state governments opted for hard measures like invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act and Doordarshan, as usual playing handmaiden to the Government, compounded the differences between the two “adversaries.”
However, despite the “cold war” there remained some “informal channels of communication.” “Finally, on Friday hopes that the strike would be called off brightened after the AIMTC accepted an “invitation” from Tyler to resume talks, AIMTC representatives met Tyler and ministry officials in the afternoon and the final agreement was thrashed out during six hours of “informal and formal talks.”
Article extracted from this publication >> August 13, 1993
