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Some States invoke ESMA

Special Correspondent

Truckers’ strike: Centre asks the States to get tough

NEW DELHI: With the truckers’ strike entering the fourth day, the Centre has applied greater pressure on the States to act tough and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Union Road Transport Secretary Brahm Dutt has impressed upon Chief Secretaries of the need to take quick action as preventive measures alone were important at this stage. He claimed that at least half-a-dozen States had invoked the Essential Services Maintenance ACT (ESMA). He hoped that these States would enforce the provisions which included arrest of the striking members of the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), maintaining availability of essential commodities and preventing the prices from escalating.

Mr. Dutt warned that arrests could be made anytime now without issuance of warrants. ESMA has been notified in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. He had talked to other states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra also to deal the situation more decisively.

He hoped that the striking truckers would call off their agitation in the greater interests of common man and the market. He ruled out any dialogue with the AITMC stating that the government had done what was possible and that they were just misleading the people.

Mr. Dutt, however, admitted that perishables such vegetables and fruits had become dearer by five to 10 per cent more out of fear than due to the strike. Prices were bound to go up as the market was reacting to the agitation.

The problem of the government had been compounded by the strike of the officers of the public sector oil companies, he added.

The AITMC remained firm in its demand for reduction in diesel prices and decided to continue with its strike.

Apart from calling on CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, the AIMTC leadership also wrote letters to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani explaining their hardship in running their business. They maintained that their venture had become unviable and only government intervention could revive their fortune.

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