Protesting against Punjab Government’s decision to dissolve all the 134 truck unions in the State, 93,000 truckers, owing allegiance to different unions, on Wednesday observed a day-long strike.
“93,000 truckers kept their vehicles off roads today,” said Punjab Truck Union president Happy Sandhu, adding that close to four lakh families in the State earn their livelihood through truck business.
The truckers held dharnas at all the block levels in the State, said Sandhu, adding that the protest was joined by CPI (M), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists.
“The protesting truckers submitted memorandums to sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), addressed to the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, demanding cancellation of the Government’s decision to dissolve all truck unions, numbering around 134, in Punjab,” Sandhu said.
He flayed the State Government for holding truck unions allegedly responsible for the failure of manufacturing sector in Punjab.
“Industry has failed because of faulty policies and vested interests of political parties in Punjab and not because of truckers,” he said, adding that industry failed in industrial towns like Rajpura, Gobindgarh, Khanna, ludhiana, Jalandhar and Batala despite the fact that there is no truck union in these towns.
“On the contrary, despite the presence of very strong truck unions in nearby industrial towns like Tahliwal, Nalagarh, Baddi and Ponta Sahib falling in adjoining Himachal Pradesh, industry has been flourishing at a rapid pace just because of the fact that the State (Himachal Pradesh) has a very strong industrial policy,” Sandhu said.
Truck operators declared that if Government failed to withdraw its decision, they would intensify their struggle adding that it would be difficult for the Government to lift wheat and paddy from grain markets if the issue remained unresolved.
Union leaders alleged that the Congress Government was working under pressure from certain industrialists who wanted to disband the truck unions. They alleged that like farmers, a large number of truck operators were debt-ridden and the Government’s move would affect their livelihood which might drive many to commit suicide.