TheBharat Bandh call given by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) onFriday against rising fuel prices, the new e-way bill and Goods and ServicesTax (GST) has evoked negligible response in Punjab and other states.
TheAll India Transport Welfare Association (AITWA) - the apex body of theorganised road transportation companies though had announced support to theBandh, however the transporters were apparently divided and in several citiesof Punjab, trucks were seen operating even after the 'chakka jam' began at 6a.m.
Commercialestablishments in almost all major cities, including Jalandhar, Amritsar, andLudhiana were seen open today.
"Therewas no clarity in the Bandh call. Besides, our business is already in doldrumsand we cannot afford more closures," said Mahesh, a businessman inJalandhar. "This Bandh call is onlyon paper and not on the ground level," he said.
TheCAIT as well as AITWA are seeking scrapping of the new e-way bill oreliminating certain rules from it. The e-way bill system has been introducednationwide for inter-state movement of goods with effect from April 1, 2018.
Theyhave also appealed to the government to withdraw heavy taxes on fuel prices andmake it uniform across India.
Callingthe GST 'one of the most complex taxation systems', the protesters want areview of the GST system and simplification of the tax slabs.