The Odisha State Truck Owners’ Federation (OSTOF) on Wednesday threatened to launch a State-wide strike from June 9 midnight if the State Government fails to fulfil its 11-point charter of demands before that.
Association general secretary Rabi Satpathy told reporters here that the association has strongly protested the action of the Transport Commissioner, who, in an order, has directed cancellation of fitness certificate, road permit and the registration certificate of a truck without any investigation in case of an accident.
He demanded immediate revocation of the order with immediate effect. More than 1.3 lakh trucks would stay off the roads bringing vital transport operations to a standstill if the illegal circular is not withdrawn, Satpathy said.
Satpathy informed that the Transport department has not revised the transport charges since 2008. He also alleged that the truck owners and drivers are being harassed at inter-State border check gates.
“Apart from this, the Transport department has also imposed restrictions on the movement of trucks from the neighbouring States to Odisha. As about 10,000 trucks from other States enter Odisha everyday, imposing restrictions on them by the department is grossly unfair,” he pointed out.
Referring to the new rule of the Transport department for renewal of driving licence under which a truck driver has to undergo a seven-day driving test, he wanted to know the motive behind such a provision.
Notably, the Odisha Bus Owners’ Association has already announced an indefinite strike from June 5 if their demands are not fulfilled before that. The association has been demanding a mechanism whereby there is automatic revision of bus fares in the State every time fuel prices are revised.