Calcutta, Aug. 25: Normal life is likely to receive a jolt as private transport operators refused to climb down from their call for a three-day strike starting tomorrow.

Buses, mini buses, taxis and chartered carriers will be off the roads until Thursday as the owners protest against enhanced motor vehicles taxes and other levies. Taxis went off the road from 10 pm tonight.

Apart from auto-rickshaws, there would be no other mode of private transport on the road for three days.

More than 2,000 fuel pumps across the state will go on a three-day strike from Wednesday, protesting against the enhanced sales tax on petrol and diesel.

Oil tanker operators today said they would observe a day’s “token” strike tomorrow. The tanker operators climbed down from their earlier plan to join the three-day strike following a request from transport minister Subhas Chakraborty.

“We will press the entire fleet of 2,000 state buses, those belonging to CTC and the trams and try to ensure a normal flow of passenger transport,” he said after a meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

The minister warned that the government could requisition private buses and even issue temporary permits for buses to tide over the crisis. Police all over the state were asked to take stern action against those preventing willing operators from plying their vehicles.

At a meeting with the fuel pump owners headed for shutdown, Chakraborty requested them to call off the strike.

“We did not give the minister any assurance. We have called a general body meeting on Wednesday where we will decide whether to continue the strike till Friday,” said Joydeb Sarkar, general secretary of the West Bengal Petroleum Dealers’ Association.

More than 2,500 chartered buses carrying school children and office-goers will also be on strike.

About 23,000 private buses, 8,000 mini buses and 32,000 taxis ply across the state every day.

Authorities of most schools and colleges have said it will be classes as usual.

Calcutta University has, however, postponed all undergraduate and post-graduate examinations slated for tomorrow. However, no announcement has been made for any change in the exam schedule for Wednesday and Thursday.