Babasaheb Dhumal, president, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).: Running his transport company out of Pune’s industrial belt in Chinchwad, Dhumal owns more than 25 vehicles plying in Maharashtra and neighbouring states. As AIMTC president, he commands a fleet of ‘‘more than 27 lakh trucks across the country’’ and in the western zone lays claim to ‘‘over 10 lakh trucks’’. He pushed the trucker’s into a confrontation with the Centre. ‘‘The Government has to agree to our demands as they are legitimate,’’ were his famous last words before he returned to Transport Bhawan to sign an agreement to call off the strike.J.M. Saksena, secretary: A ‘‘full time member and office bearer of AIMTC,’’ he doesn’t own any transport company. But his association controls ‘‘over 27 lakh trucks’’ and is happy that ‘‘the government capitulated and accepted nine out of 10 demands’’. He has little to say on the voices of dissent in AIMTC and says ‘‘we cannot make everyone happy.’’ Shyam Kumar Gupta, vice-president (North Zone): Runs a transport company from Kanpur and owns 25 trucks, but lays claim to ‘‘1.5 lakh trucks from UP’’. Unhappy with the strike’s outcome he promised to take it up at AIMTC’s next management council meet. ‘‘Only individuals we expelled are opposing us, but our strike is a 100 pc strike and our demands will be met,’’ he said hours before the agreement was signed.S.K. Mittal, vice-president (East Zone): ‘‘My association has 1.75 lakh trucks that ply in 11 states.’’ He was referring to Eastern and North-Eastern states which make up AIMTC’s East Zone and dismissed the strike withdrawal in West Bengal a few days ago as ‘‘inconsequential’’.K. Asaithambi, vice-president (South Zone): Reeling off figures of ‘‘112 associations in Tamil Nadu, 112 in Karnataka, 115 in Andhra Pradesh and 20 in Kerala,’’ he claimed to be the ‘‘king of over five lakh trucks in the South.’’ His company, operating out of Salem, owns 25 trucks.O.P. Aggarwal, chairman, Orissa State Owners Federation: Commanding over 32 associations, Aggarwal, a former AIMTC vice-president, claimed to control over 45,000 trucks in Orissa.Kultaran Singh, president, Truck Operators Association Delhi Interstate and secretary, All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners (AICGVO): Even though AICGVO president S.P. Singh decided to call off the strike much before the AIMTC signed on the dotted line, Kultaran Singh went along with the strike. ‘‘All we want the government is some transparency in insurance and why should we pay thousands of rupees in toll fee for just a few hundred kilometres,’’ he asked as he sat in the dharna outside Jantar Mantar.
