The strike call was precipitated by the reported statements of State Cooperation Minister Jayprakash Mundada yesterday, making it clear that the amendment to the APMC Act would be implemented in all market committees despite resistance from the trading community.

This is the second such call given by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard Adate Association in the past fortnight which has come as a sharp reaction to the stand adopted by the State Government on the issue of the recovery of sales charges from the consumer instead of the farmer as was the earlier practice.

Association president Vilas Bhujbhal told The Indian Express that a decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the association this morning when it was realised that the State Government was not responding to the demands put forth by the traders and commission agents. The traders had threatened to resort to an indefinite bandh from May 10 unless the State Government scrapped its directives to recover sales charges and other expenses on agricultural produce from consumers. Commission agents dealing in vegetables, fruits, flowers, onions and potatoes were to follow suit.

However the reported enactment of the amendment in market committees in Marathwada and Nashik led to an adverse reaction among the trading community with the result that some of the market committees in the State have already closed shutters indefinitely as a mark of protest against the government decision.

``We had given the government time till April 30 to review its decision. However, the amended byelaws have already been introduced in around 20 market committees in Maharastra. This could also be enacted anytime in Pune,'' he feared, explaining the bandh was the only weapon to ensure that the act would not be enforced here. Moreover since the budget session is still in progress they hoped for some kind of solution.