AITTF pulls out of strike
2 lakh trucks to resume operation

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 (UNI) — The All-India Truck Transport Federation (AITTF) tonight announced its withdrawal from the five-day-old nation-wide truckers' strike.

Nearly two lakh trucks being operated by a AITTF would resume operation from tomorrow, a private television channel quoting the federation sources said.

The withdrawal evoked condemnation from the All-Indian Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) which is spearheading the agitation following hike in diesel price.

The AIMTC, which is the apex organisation of motor transport operators affiliating state and regional associations, deplored the AITTF decision and said that the strike would continue. "We call upon the agitators not to pay any heed and continue the indefinite suspension of work", the AIMTC said in a release here.

In Kerala, the Cochin Container Carrier Owners Welfare Association also announced resumption of operation of its vehicles to enable movement of container cargo to and from the Cochin Port.

An association spokesman said in Kochi that the operation of container trucks to distant places of the southern state would be considered after assessing the situation, tomorrow.

The Cochin Port had been receiving and despatching an average of 100 containers daily, a port trust spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the inter-state movement of goods continued to be affected on the fifth day of the nationwide truckers' strike even as some regional transporters’ unions pulled out of the agitation in the absence of any positive response from the government on rolling back diesel prices.

The All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), spearheading the indefinite strike, claimed that all its associations were together on fighting the diesel price hike and questioned the credentials of unions which had withdrawn from the strike.

The prices of vegetables, fruits and other perishable items went up moderately in some parts of the country.

Some truckers associations in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, North Bengal, Chandigarh and the All-India Truck and Transport Federation announced their withdrawal and resumed operations in the past 24 hours.

Stating that the supply of essential commodities was normal, the government claimed that truckers called off their strike in parts of Kerala and West Bengal.

Petroleum Minister Ram Naik said that the Centre had advised the states to increase freight rates to compensate for the increase in diesel prices, but firmly ruled out a review of hike in the diesel prices.

Transport Secretary Ashoke Joshi said the strike appeared to be weakening with some unions calling off the agitation.

Diesel price hike echo in Parliament

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 (PTI, UNI) — The hike in diesel prices had an echo in the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament today when the President’s Address was disrupted by RJD member Raghuvansh Prasad Singh alleging that farmers’ interests had been neglected.

As soon as President K. R. Narayanan rose to deliver his Address, Mr Raghuvanath Prasad Singh sprang to his feet and made his full-throated protest for a few minutes. But Mr Narayanan continued with his Address.

Later on, when the President announced the government’s proposal to initiate action for the creation of new states of Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhattisgarh, independent tribal member from Assam’s Kokrajhar constituency, Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary, rose to protest against the non-inclusion of a separate Bodoland state in the list.

"Why no Bodoland?" he shouted for a minute before resuming his seat.

He repeated his protest when Vice-President Krishan Kant finished reading out the Hindi text of the President’s Address.

Meanwhile, an obvious goof-up by the Parliament watch and ward staff in seating some diplomats in the Press galleries led to unpleasant scenes during the President's Address to the joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament today.

As a result, several reporters had to keep standing or report the proceedings from the TV telecast. Some even boycotted reporting the Address.

According to the press relations wing of Parliament, galleries B and C above the Central Hall are traditionally reserved for the Press. But some enthusiastic watch and ward staff brought some ambassadors and senior diplomats to the press galleries and seated them there as the diplomatic galleries were already full.

But when the journalists who walked in after a few minutes protested, the watch and ward staff offered to re-seat the diplomats in the galleries meant for them. But many of those who were already comfortably seated declined to get up. A senior diplomat from the Netherlands Embassy was seen arguing with the journalists. It went on till the diplomats decided to leave on the President’s completion of the Address.