Transport strike successful, say Left, affiliated-Unions

Claiming that countrywide strike against Centre's Road Transport Safety bill was "successful", Left parties and affiliated organisations today appealed to the NDA Government to hold consultations over the proposed legislation.
Congratulating employees and workers of transport sector for their day-long "massive" protest, the outfits asked the government to invite representatives of the demonstrators for discussion to hear their views.
The strike was called jointly by national-level road transport bodies - representing both public and private sector workers - associated with central trade unions like AITUC, CITU, BMS, INTUC, HMS, AICCTU, LPF and state-level outfits.
The employees staged protest claiming the Centre wants to hand over the transport sector in the hands of private players. The protesters have also been opposing bill provisions which include obtaining fitness certificates even for light motor vehicles regularly and stringent penalties for driving offences.

The Unions fear that the bill in the present form will encroach upon state's financial, legislative and administrative powers and are even up in arms against the stringent penalties proposed for road accidents.
"The Polit Bureau of the CPI (M) congratulates the workers and employees for their successful and massive all-India strike.

"It demands the Modi Government to discuss provisions of the bill with representatives of the transport sector including workers' Unions instead of trying to push through it in Parliament," the party said in a statement.
AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Das Gupta shared similar views. He claimed the strike was successful in states like Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttarakhand.

"In some states, it (strike) was partial," he claimed in a statement.
The CITU claimed there was a bandh (shut down)-like situation in Kerala, Tripura and Maharashtra, besides West Bengal. CITU claimed several of its members for doing rasta roko in towns of Andhra Pradesh.