New Delhi, April 16
As the countrywide truckers’ strike entered the third day today and the prices of essential commodities moved upwards, the government has invited the agitating truckers tomorrow for initiating a dialogue, seeking an early resolution to the problem.

“We have invited the representatives of the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) at 11 a.m. tomorrow”, Minister of Road Transport and Highways B.C.Khanduri told newspersons here today.

He also exuded confidence that the strike would come to an end soon. " It may not be possible to maintain the strike for long. It has some internal problems”, he said.

The Minister, however, made it clear that the demand for the scrapping of toll tax as demanded by the truckers was out of question.

“ This (scrapping of toll tax) was non-negotiable. It does not stand to any reason”, he added.

The AIMTC has laid before the government a nine-point charter of demands. These are — withdrawal of cess on diesel, preventing insurance companies from flouting IRDA norms, scrapping of toll tax, forthwith amendment of the Carrier Act,1865, preventing overloading of vehicles, deviation from the national permit system, exempting transporters from the purview of VAT, and computerisation of driving licences and car registrations.

On whether any dialogue has taken place so far between the government and agitating truckers since the strike began on April 14, Mr Khanduri replied in the negative and said the ground work had to be first prepared at the Secretary-level before the matter could be taken up at an inter-ministerial level.

On reports that truckers could even stop transporting essential commodities, the minister shot back “threats and counter-threats will not solve the problem.”

Seeking to clear any doubt that the government had not kept any channel of communication open for initiating a dialogue, the minister said the government had always kept the door of dialogue open.

Sources in the Ministry of Road Transport said a communication was sent to the AIMTC on April 11 for discussing the matter, three days before the strike began, but was informed that the AIMTC president was away in southern India.

On the government’s response to the charter of demands, Mr Khanduri stated that the Petroleum Ministry had agreed to consider the prices of petrol and diesel, which would be revised only once in three months subject to the condition that the revision is not more than 25 paise per litre. This has already been communicated to the AIMTC.

On the proposed VAT regime, he said, “VAT is to replace varying sales tax systems across states. Truckers, who fall under the category of service providers, were never subject to sales tax and hence will be out of the purview of the new regime.”