Bhubaneswar: Over 27 lakh trucks will go off the highways all over the country from April 14 in support of the indefinite "chakka jam" agitation called by All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) in support of its 10-point charter of demands.

The demands included immediate fixation of freight for trucks, abolition of golden card system and keeping truckers outside the purview of VAT (Value Added Tax), AIMTC president Om Prakash Agarwal said on April 13.

The agitation would affect the economy as the government would lose a staggering Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore per day while the transport industry would suffer loss to the tune of Rs 500 crore per day, he said. The stir would also cause an estimated daily loss of Rs 2,000 crore to trade and industry, he said.

Stating that the freight for trucks had not been reviewed since 1994 even though the diesel prices had increased three fold, Agarwal said the AIMTC was completely opposed to the golden card system where the truckers were asked to pay Rs 5,000 which provided them the licence to carry more load than that allowed.

It amounted to legalising something which is illegal and it caused more damage to the roads and number of accidents increased manifold, he said.

The AIMTC also strongly objected to the collection of mechanical tax - prevalent only in Orissa - at border checkpoints, which had been raised from Rs 500 to Rs 1,400, Subrat Nanda, president of the Capital Truck Owners' Association, said.

PTI