CITU vehicular strike in Tripura over fuel price hike

AGARTALA - Normal life was affected in Tripura Tuesday following a 24-hour transport strike call given by the Tripura Motor Shramik Union (TMSU) and Tripura Auto-Richshaw Workers Union (TAWU).

Both were protesting against the fuel price hike and its potential impact on essential commodities.

Both are frontal organisations of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Tripura unit.

“The strike is of mainly of non-government transport against the price hike of daily use commodities. We are protest against Central government’s decision of hike in the prices of petroleum products and commodities. This is an extra pressure on the people and mainly on the transport owners and working class,” said Arun Kanti Ray, a CITU leader.

All private transporters, including goods carriers, inter-state buses and school buses joined the agitation.

Office goers and passengers traveling by air and railways were facing problems, as auto-rickshaws also stayed off the roads. People were seen waiting in roadsides for vehicles.

Subhra Saha, a teacher who could go to her school after waiting for a vehicle for long, said: “Today’s strike is mainly protest against the price hike of petroleum products. But we are facing problem due to this strike. I have to go to my school but not finding any vehicle to move.”

People were moving mainly on two-wheelers though few rickshaws were also seen in the road.

Though most of the government offices functioned as normally many educational institutes remained close as bused did not ply.

The ruling CPI-M has supported the transport strike.

The hike in prices of petrol and diesel will lead to an increase in fares of passenger and goods transport and would further increase the prices of the essential commodities and the states in the North-East would suffer most because of their location in the backward region, a CITU statement said. By Pinaki Das ANI)