What are your reasons for opposing the diesel price hike?

There has been a steep fall in the transport business due to the ongoing recession and this has been compounded by the sharp increase in fuel prices. In the last 15 months alone, there has been a hike of Rs 6.75 in the price of diesel. In 1996, our trucks on an average carried 54 lakh metric tonnes a day. That dropped to 50 tonnes the following year, then 46 tonnes and this year it is at itslowest ever at 44 lakh tonnes. We are just not in a position to absorb further fuel hikes especially since nearly 80 per cent of trucks belong to individual vehicle owners. Over 40 per cent have been left waiting by roadsides since the fuel hike. To illustrate, a truck owner plying his vehicle between Mumbai and Thane requires around 20 litres a day. The hike increases his costs by Rs 85 and is disastrous for someone who survives on a daily margin of Rs 100. Again, he cannot pass it on to the consumer because of competition.

Hence, we are demanding nothing short of a complete withdrawal by the government of the price hike on diesel.

What was decided in the meeting of the All India Motor Transport Congress in Delhi on Sunday?

As far as deciding the course of action, this was one of the shortest meetings. In 45 minutes flat, representatives from 30 states and union territories had decided to go on an indefinite strike to persuade the government to completely withdraw the diesel pricehike.

What are your other demands?

We are not opposed to paying toll but we have demanded a total abolition of the toll naka system by the government since this breeds corruption and the money is collected by a third party not at all involved in the construction of the public utility. Instead we have demanded that the government bring out a policy on this issue.

The state government has decided to re-introduce toll with reduced rates in the state. Will you pay up?

We have decided that we will not pay toll at the nakas. We have already told the state government to levy a 20 paise cess on fuel in Mumbai and Thane. This will fetch them an annual income of Rs 18 crore, despite the fact that the flyovers won't save us more than Rs 2 crore.

The transport commissioner has said that vehicles without PUC certificates will not be given petrol in the island city from October 15 onwards. Aren't trucks the biggest polluters on the roads?

I welcome this drive but all our trucks comply withPUC norms, this is essential since they go in for annual Road Transport Organisation inspections. They have to show their documents almost on a daily basis. Trucks are not the biggest polluters, they only emit a little black smoke either while starting or going really slow. Diesel exhaust is anyway not as harmful as the exhaust from petrol engines.