Minister of State for Transport Bimal Shah said transporters in the State appeared keen to withdraw the strike. He claimed that about 70 per cent of trucks had started plying in different parts of the State since Sunday night. ``Truck operators' associations at Unjha, Mehsana and Porbandar have started their operations from today,'' Akhil Gujarat Truck Transport Association president Nandlal Thaper admitted while talking to Express Newsline.

Transport Secretary Jasvinder Singh Rana claimed that truckers had started operations at major ports like Kandla. ``The truckers may not have started inter-state operations, but they resumed operations at quite a few places in the State,'' Rana said.

Quoting officials of the Food Corporation of India, Bimal Shah said about 60 trucks were allotted to the FCI to transport foodgrains from its godowns in the State.

The strike figured in the State Cabinet meeting on Monday, where its members, including Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, expressed concern over the ongoing strike and reportedly asked the Transport Minister to initiate efforts to end it at the earliest.

After the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister talked to Thaper on phone and requested him to ensure that the strike was withdrawn at the earliest. ``Thaper is keen to concede to the Government's request, but he seems to be facing stiff resistance from the rival group,'' a source said.

Highly placed sources in the State Government said they had received assurances from representatives of truck operators that they would call off the strike at least by Tuesday evening.

Thaper, however, said the strike would continue in the State till it was withdrawn at the Central level. But he added that they would not stop any trucker who had resumed work or was planning to.

Civil Supplies Minister Ashok Bhatt claimed that despite the strike, the government was able to maintain smooth supply of essential commodities. Admitting that the prices of vegetables has shot up by about 15 to 20 per cent due to the strike, he said, ``We have directed the district collector to encourage vegetable growers in Ahmedabad district to bring vegetables to Ahmedabad and sell it to consumers through `sale centres' to be created in that city from tomorrow''.

Bhatt said teams of the civil supplies department on Monday visited retail as well as wholesale vegetable markets in Ahmedabad and warned traders of strict action if they were found indulging in profiteering. He claimed that the price of edible oils and pulses had gone down despite the truckers' strike. The Minister, however, could not substantiate his claim when asked to give reasons for the falling prices.

Meanwhile, the truckers' strike took a violent turn in Godhra town of Panchmahals district on Sunday night when the striking truckers pelted stones on State Transport buses and trucks passing through the city.According to police, two ST buses -- one on its way to Chittorgadh from Surat and the other going from Modasa to Surat -- were damaged and their drivers injured in the stone-pelting.

DSP K D Patadia said the assaulters fled after the incident, leaving behind injured drivers and passengers, on the arrival of mobile police parties.The situation was normal on Monday, with tempos transporting vegetables and other essential commodities.