At least 17 associations of commercial vehicle operators in West Bengal will go on indefinite strike from Friday, to protest the state government’s decision to ban all commercial vehicles that are over 15 years old.

Sarnakamal Saha of Kolkata Metropolitian Bus and Minibus Owners’ Association told mediapersons, “We’re sticking to our stand to call the strike if the state government does not pay any attention to our interests”. State Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty is scheduled to hold a meeting with transport operators at Netaji Indoor Stadium Thursday evening in a bid to resolve the issue.

The Calcutta High Court July 2008 ordered ban on commercial vehicles registered before Jan 1, 1993 from Kolkata and its outskirts. It said the order should be implemented by Dec 31, 2008, in the Kolkata Metrapolitan Area (KMA), which includes parts of North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts. Later, the date for imposing the ban was put off till July 31, 2009, following a state government plea.