Association president G R Shanmugappa, addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Saturday, said associations of bus owners, maxi cab owners and van owners have also extended their support to the strike.

Trucks, maxicabs, buses and vans will not ply from January 20 midnight. “The strike will continue till the State government agrees to withdraw the direction to installation of speed governors”, he said. The State Transport Department, based on a Karnataka HC order, has made it mandatory for all new transport vehicles to be fitted with the speed governors at the time of registration by the end of December this year. It had also directed all existing vehicles to follow this rule from January 1, 2008 onwards.

The speed governors will restrict the maximum cruising speed to no more than 60 km per hour and those vehicles which do not comply with the rule will not be given/renewed fitness certificate by the Regional Transport Authority.

Shanmugappa said that the State government has made installation of speed governors only for state-bound vehicles. Whereas, every day more than 40,000 trucks from neighbouring states enter the state and there has been no direction making installation of speed governors for them. “If the government is keen on making speed governors compulsory let that be adopted across the country”, he said.