Odisha Truckers Oppose Vehicle Scrapping Policy, Threaten Statewide Strike

Cuttack: The truck owners have decided to resort to a statewide agitation and stop plying their vehicles, if the government fails to fulfil their demands by January 11.

Speaking to media persons on Friday, president of Odisha Truck Owners’ Association (OTOA) Bibhuti Prasad Das said they had submitted their 5-point charter of demands including roll-back of the decision on scrapping the vehicles which are older than 15 years.

Though they had submitted the demands on December 11 last year seeking a solution, the government neither took any decision nor called them for discussion, he added.

Das said the present policy would render lakhs of people jobless as commercial and private vehicles would go off the roads. “We had demanded the scrapping time of the vehicles to be raised from 15 to 20 years. Since it is the engines of the vehicles that cause pollution, we also suggested for changing those. But the government has not responded to any of our suggestions,” alleged Das.

He further questioned why the transport sector was being targeted for the pollution while 45% of the pollution in the country is caused by industries.

Claiming that the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) has extended its support to the cause of OTOA, he said if the government fails to take any action on their demands by January 11, they would be forced to go for the statewide strike.