Transporters today said they will surrender about 700 truck permits in the National Capital with the government toughening its stand and refusing to meet their demands as the strike entered the fourth day.
As the truckers showed no sign of withdrawing their strike, the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments have invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to maintain smooth supplies of essential commodities. Maharashtra had already declared the stir illegal.
"It is meaningless to run a business in losses, so we have decided to surrender our permits. Already about 700 permits have been collected in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar in Delhi and we are planning to give them back to the government," All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Managing Committee Member Kultaran Singh Atwal told PTI.
He said the government has yet to respond to their demands and until any communication is received, the strike would continue.
According to a senior Transport Ministry official, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are also likely to invoke ESMA and impound vehicles for an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities and declare the strike illegal.
To decide on their future course of action, the executive committee of the AIMTC is holding a meeting today, even as prices of food items are reported to have showed signs of going up in some wholesale markets of the country. However, key spot markets for commodities like sugar, potato and maize remained closed today on account of Muharram.
The agitation, called by the AIMTC and All India Transporters Welfare Association (AITWA), took a political colour yesterday with the CPI(M) asking the Centre to meet the truckers' demands.