Maharashtra's truck drivers began an indefinite strike on Wednesday, protesting the e-challan system and aggressive fine recovery, which they claim disrupts business and mounts penalties. This industrial action, called by the Vahatukdar Bachao Kruti Sanghatana, has significantly disrupted goods transport across the state
The protest has disrupted goods transport services across the state, a transporters' representative said. Representational pic
Truck drivers in Maharashtra commenced an indefinite strike on Wednesday to protest against the e-challan system and to press for other long-standing demands.
The protest has disrupted goods transport services across the state, a transporters' representative said.
Transporters have complained that the authorities' recovery process for e-challan fines has become overly aggressive, impeding business operations and leading to escalating penalties, reported PTI.
The strike was called by the Vahatukdar Bachao Kruti Sanghatana, an action committee comprising various transporters' associations.
While truckers began their protest at midnight, bus operators have decided to defer their participation for a few days.
"The strike has received a mixed response as it is the first day, but the situation will be different post-afternoon," claimed Uday Barge, convenor of the action committee.
According to PTI, Barge stated that approximately 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh trucks and other goods-carrying vehicles in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra would be taken off the roads due to the strike.
Furthermore, Barge asserted that all trucks were off the roads in Mumbai's business hub, Kalbadevi. In other areas, members of transport associations were employing "Gandhigiri" tactics to persuade transporters to join the strike.
The transporters' demands include, an end to the forceful recovery of e-challan fines, the cancellation of e-challans older than six months, the waiving of existing penalties, the scrapping of the mandatory cleaner rule for heavy vehicles, and a reconsideration of no-entry timings in metropolitan cities.
In response to the strike call, the state government has formed a 10-member committee. This committee comprises senior officers from the Mumbai traffic police, highway police, and the motor vehicles department, alongside leaders of transport associations, and has been tasked with examining the issue.
The committee is expected to submit its report within a month, according to a Government Resolution (GR) issued late on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik had assured the formation of such a committee to address the transporters' demands on 26th June.
Previously, transporters had staged an indefinite sit-in protest from 16th June at Mumbai's Azad Maidan to highlight their grievances, reported PTI.
They called off the protest on 24th June after Industries Minister Uday Samant assured them that a meeting would be convened to resolve their issues.
During the meeting held the following day, Sarnaik and Samant pledged the formation of a committee to examine the demands. However, the transporters remained resolute in their decision to strike in July, citing a lack of progress regarding the withdrawal of e-challans older than six months.
"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 step," Kailas Pingle, president of Maharashtra Rajya Motor Malak Sangh, which has also extended support to the strike, stated on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, a leader of one of the bus operators' bodies said on Tuesday that Chief Minister Fadnavis had requested bus operators not to go on strike to avoid difficulties for the warkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthal), as Ashadi Ekadashi is just a few days away. Consequently, they decided to postpone their participation in the strike for a few days.
(With inputs from PTI)
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