Jamshedpur : Over 10,000 heavy commercial vehicles remained off the road as Jamshedpur Truckers and Trailers Association (JTTA) prevented the entry or exit of the vehicles as part of the strike in protest against increasing rate of diesel prices.
Under the banner of All India Motor Transporters Association (AIMTA), members of the JTTA made sure that the vehicles are not allowed to move that reached Transport Nagar in Mango since Monday morning.
During the protest, a sizeable number of vehicles remain stuck up in the Transport Nagar where as majority of the trucks and trailers remained stranded along the NH-33.
A functionary of JTTA said that in the ongoing strike they are mainly demanding the Union government for reducing the prices of diesel whose current rate is Rs 61 per litre.
” We are in protest against high fuel prices and harassment faced by drivers in the name of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at toll booths across the country since the implementation of the tax regime. The prices of diesel should be around Rs 50 per litre. Moreover, the GST of Rs 5 percent which is being imposed on transportation service should be waved,” he said.
Notably, no truck and trailer was allowed to carry goods during the two days. The trucks and trailers laden with materials were intercepted near Dimna Road and were made to get parked either inside the Transport Nagar or outside along the NH-33.
Akhilesh Yadav, president of Jamshedpur Transporters Welfare Association, said that an indefinite strike may be called after Diwali in consultation with transporters’ unions across the country if the government fails to take steps to redress the grievances of truck operators.
“Apart from GST and the issue of harassment of drivers at toll booths, our chief demand is reduction in the price of diesel, which has gone up by Rs 15 to Rs 20 per litre,” he said.