Four days after the All India Motor Transport Association (AIMTC) called a nation-wide strike, the city has begun to feel the heat. The association has demanded, among other things, a reduction in diesel prices and exemption in service and toll taxes.

With the increased demand of fuel that had led to its shortage, the wholesale markets say they will be unable to supply essential commodities to city by Friday. Though, the essential commodities have been kept out of the strike, the shortage of diesel will hit its transport by Friday, which in turn will shoot prices, according to the Director of Agricultural Products Market Committee ( APMC ) in Navi Mumbai.

“There is an acute shortage of diesel on the forth day, we can only sustain the supply for one day. After that, even we cannot supply the goods to the city or elsewhere,” said APMC Director, Ashok Walung. He added that so far the prices have been kept under control, but if the supplies fail to reach retailers they will hike the prices by Friday evening.

According to Walung, 700 trucks of vegetables are supplied to Mumbai daily along with 500 trucks of onions and potatoes, 300 trucks of fruits, and around 600-650 trucks of grains and pulses.

Meanwhile, the central government has not responded to the demands put forward by the AIMTC which has the strength of over 48 lakh truckers. “The government has not budged from its stance, which is unfortunate. We’re determined to fight no matter what actions the government decides to take against us because our demands are legitimate. We cannot continue to run our businesses in losses,” said N L Gupta, spokesperson, AIMTC. According to him, the association is expecting the government to hold a meeting with its representatives to resolve the issue on Friday.

Transporters have demanded that the government introduce a bailout package for the sector to address issues such as high price of diesel, tyres, and permits, besides other demands. They have demanded reduction of diesel price by Rs 10 per litre since crude oil prices in the international market have declined drastically. The list also includes levying uniform four percentage point VAT on diesel, scrapping registration and return filing requirements in the new Carriers Act, reducing tyre prices by 30-35 per cent and rolling back national permit fees from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,500.