Thane, Mar 7 (UNI) The one-day token strike called by thousands of auto rickshaws and Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) bus services was called off this evening but with a warning that if their pending issues were not resolved within next three weeks, then an indefinite strike was imminent.

Thousands of autorickshaws and the entire fleet of TMT buses went off roads since last midnight following a strike call given by their respective unions.

Addressing a news conference here, union leader Sharad Rao claimed that the strike was total and thanked the citizens of Thane for bearing with the striking workers and operators.

The strike was only a representative one, he said and warned the following will be a full fledged stoppage of operations and to avoid this, the authorities should take matters seriously and act.

He said all along the demands of the operators were being ignored, which resulted in the strike and bitter relations between the two.

The rickshawmen's main demand was to increase the minimum fare to Rs 11 and to increase the number of the CNG filling stations, while the demand of the TMT workmen was to disallow the private operators and to increase benefits and wages, he added.

UNI