State transporters to join nationwide stir tomorrow

| | BHUBANESWAR | in Bhubaneswar

The All Odisha Transport Workers’ Federation (AOTWF) would join the nationwide ‘Chakka Jam’ on August 7 opposing the amendment Bill of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 cleared in the Lok Sabha.

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which seeks an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, was cleared by the Lok Sabha recently. If the amendment bill comes into force, the vehicle owners, drivers as well as the insurance companies would face serious loss, said the AOTWF in a Press conference here on Saturday.

The union asked the auto rickshaw, taxi, bus, truck and tanker owners to join the 24-hour stir called by the All India Road Transport Workers Federation and different trade unions including the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Labour Progressive Federation (LPF).

Notably, the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016, is expected to be passed in the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session of Parliament. With clearing of the amendment bill, the manufacturers could be fined as much Rs 100 crore if their vehicles are found to be polluting the environment.The amendment empowers the Centre to make rules for regulating the recall of the motor vehicles that are declared unsafe to the environment.