Truckers to go ahead with indefinite strike

“We waited for the minister but only in the afternoon did he tell us that he was going out of town and would be back only tomorrow,” a representative of the truckers’ delegation told DTNext. The South India Motor Transport Association (SIMTA) announced the strike earlier this month seeking fulfillment of close to half a dozen demands by the Union and State Governments. 

“On Tuesday a delegation of SIMTA and State Lorry Owners Federation – Tamil Nadu (SLOF-TN) met Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways at Delhi,” SIMTA Vice-President N.P. Velu said. Velu said that the Union minister had assured them they would not increase the third party premium insurance hike without discussing it with the truckers and that they don’t have any proposal to scrap trucks that are over 15 years old. 

“These were our key demands. The third and only other demand was making toll roads that got back the investment be made free to operate,” he said. The Union Minister also spoke to people in Chennai to look into the issues and ensure that the strike did not begin.