By IANS,
Kolkata : Commercial vehicle operators will go on an indefinite strike in the city from Friday, after a meeting between the strikers and the West Bengal government failed to break a deadlock over the decision to ban all commercial vehicles that are over 15 years old.
With the government expressing its determination to implement a high court order banning such vehicles, at least 17 associations of commercial vehicle operators declined to withdraw the indefinite transport strike call.
The strike will be indefinite in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, while operators in the rest of the state have called for a day’s strike Friday. Taxis will also be on a day’s strike Friday.
“We are determined to go on an indefinite transport strike from tomorrow (Friday).
“We’ll also move the court with the issue,” said Joint Council of Bus Syndicate secretary Sadhan Das.
Kolkata Metropolitan Bus and Minibus Owners Association secretary Swarnakamal Saha, however, said Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty had given them some proposals and the transport body reviewed it but decided to go ahead with the protest.
Chakraborty termed the strike as ‘unreasonable’, but claimed it may be over in a day.
“We have no problems with a day’s token strike. But if they go for an indefinite strike, then commuters will be inconvenienced,” he said.
Meanwhile, ruling Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)’s labour arm Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) demanded the striking operators pay the day’s wages to the drivers and other workers.
The labour union warned the protestors that if the strike is stretched beyond Friday, then the workers would forcibly take out vehicles on the roads from Saturday.
The Calcutta High Court July 2008 ordered a ban on commercial vehicles registered before Jan 1, 1993, from Kolkata and its outskirts. It said the order should be implemented by Dec 31, 2008, in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), which includes parts of North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts.
Later, the date for imposing the ban was put off till July 31, 2009, following a state government plea.
The state government decided to phase out old vehicles from July 25 to implement the court order.