NEW DELHI: Amid claims of transporters that about 80% trucks have gone off the roads, government said there is nearly one-fourth reduction in the flow of commercial traffic at toll plazas on national highways. Officials admitted that the traffic flow had reduced recording a fall of 8% on Friday night (first day of the truckers’strike) but seeing a decline of up to 25-26% on Sunday night.

“There is no estimate of how much is the loss due to the truckers strike. The government is keen that the truckers end their strike. Two senior Cabinet ministers - Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal - had held meetings with the representatives of truckers’ association only with the intent to address their concerns. But they decided to go ahead with the strike,” said a central government official.

A senior executive at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust told TOI that the flow of vehicles at the largest cargo port has not been impacted so far.

The official data on daily prices of essential consumer items such as rice , wheat, sugar , milk, edible oil and vegetables maintained by the consumer affairs ministry show there is hardly any increase in prices between Thursday and Monday across cities. Transporters have said so far vehicles carrying vegetables and other essential commodities have not joined the strike. Once they stop plying, the impact will be more.

Office bearers of All-India Motor Transport Congress’ (AIMTC), which is spearheading the strike said the government was downplaying the impact. Its core committee chairman Bal Malkit Singh had said the impact would be serious from Monday onwards.

Sources said that there have been attempts from the transporters to resume dialogue with the transport ministry. “The government offered the best deal to address their concerns. Several steps including increase in axle load and doing away with the mandatory provisions of two drivers on long-route trucks have been taken to bring relief to truckers,” said an official.

The truckers have demanded removals of toll barriers across highways, which has been rejected by the government. Their demand to do away with daily revision of diesel prices has also not been accepted. The truckers have also been demanding some relief from on tax-related issues, which is yet to be addressed.

The strike started from Friday morning after the late night negotiation of truckers and transporters with finance minister Piyush Goyal collapsed. The truckers had also refused to call off the strike despite Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari trying to buy time till November to find some solution to their demands.

