"We have given the government time till Tuesday to roll back the hike in diesel prices...We will decide our final strategy on Tuesday. The options include indefinite suspension of transport operations pan India," All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Spokesperson and former President G P Singh said.
Terming the increase as "unprecedented and without any notice," Singh said the apex truckers body which has 80 lakh trucks under its aegis will chalk out its final strategy on Tuesday in Mumbai in its managing committee meeting.
"The government has triggered Tsunami of inflation by going ahead with its decision of steep hike of Rs five per litre in diesel prices...The Road Transport industry suggest that the Central and state governments should reduce the excise, custom duty and VAT on diesels, which constitute around 50 per cent of the diesel cost," a statement by AIMTC said.
Earlier, in the day AIMTC said it has increased freight charges across the country by 15 per cent following the hike in diesel prices.
The truckers' body has decided to pass on the burden of increase in diesel price hike to customers, it said, adding that the transport industry was not in a position to absorb the price hike.
The increase in diesel price will hit the common man as the cost of basic items will shoot up, it said.
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Yesterday, the government hiked diesel prices by a steep Rs 5.62 a litre.
Diesel prices were last hiked by Rs 3.37 per litre in June 2011.