MUMBAI: Transporters across Maharashtra announced an indefinite strike of trucks, tempos, tourist and school buses, taxis, private cabs and autorickshaws from Thursday midnight, escalating a protest centred on alleged misuse of the e-challan system and what they called arbitrary penalties. Talks with transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar on Wednesday evening failed, and “we will go ahead with the indefinite protest”, said Malik Patel of the Maharashtra Transport Action Committee.The Western India Automobile Association, representing 80,000 private car owners, also supported the strike, as they too had complaints about e-challans, said WIAA chairman Nitin Dossa. School buses will be available on Thursday morning, but will go off the roads from Friday, warned Anil Garg from the School Bus Owners Association.Taxi union leader D A Salian said many cabbies will also join the protest, as they too were frustrated over the e-challan system, wherein the fines were unjustified and more than the day’s earnings. Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union leader Thampy Kurien said auto drivers will also join the strike in the suburbs.Patel said the movement of trucks, buses and taxis may be partially hit from Thursday morning. “At noon on Thursday, transporters will all gather at Azad Maidan to protest. Vehicles will also start coming to the maidan. Till Thursday evening, if no decision is taken by the government, we will observe an indefinite chakka jam across the state,” said Bal Malkit Singh from the transporters’ association.The issue was also raised in the state legislative assembly on Wednesday, when MLA Amin Patel urged the govt to intervene. He claimed that around Rs 3,500 crore in e-challans were pending for commercial vehicles, alleging multiple challans for single vehicles and “most of it unjustified”. He warned that a strike could have serious consequences.State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said he, in principle, agreed with the concerns of transporters and directed officials to examine legal aspects to resolve the issue. Senior transport officials requested transporters on Wednesday to give the govt more time in view of the state budget on Friday and also geopolitical tensions arising out of the ongoing Israel-Iran war. But Singh said: “We gave them enough time. A govt-appointed committee submitted recommendations on the e-challan issue in December, but none were implemented till date.” Transporters’ complaints included harassment by field officers, forcible stopping of vehicles for recovery, arbitrary and multiple challans in a day, and ‘no-parking’ penalties amid inadequate parking infrastructure.
