Taxi operators withdrew their call for an “indefinite strike” from September 3 following “fruitful talks” with new state transport minister Ranjit Kundu at Writers’ Buildings on Tuesday.

“We have decided to call off the strike because our discussion today was satisfactory. We also kept in mind the inconvenience commuters would have faced before Puja had their been a strike,” said Tarak Nath Bari, the secretary of the Calcutta Taxi Association.

The operators had called the strike demanding that the government take steps to speed up the replacement of taxis 15 years and older — banned by the high court — with new ones.

Minister Kundu during the day held two rounds of discussions, first with officials and then with the operators, in an attempt to expedite the replacement process.

The operators spoke about problems with bank loans and vehicle manufacturers which were “unnecessarily slowing” down the process.

The minister said: “I understand there are some issues related to bank loans.... I will make sure that something is done to make the process faster and less complicated.”

The minister has asked Hindustan Motors to send a team on Friday for the department to assess whether the company can immediately supply 5,000-odd taxis.

The taxi operators have been demanding that since Hindustan Motors (makers of Ambassadors) could not meet the demand, they be allowed to use more viable alternatives such as the Maruti-Suzuki Omni or Tata Indica.

“I will have to see how Hindustan Motors is placed before deciding on the operators’ demand,” said Kundu.

On bus and minibus operators’ demand that the government make good Subhas Chakraborty’s promise of paying Rs 50,000 to each of those opting for replacement, the minister said: “I cannot take a call without discussing the matter with the chief minister and the finance minister.”