Bengaluru: Talks between various truck unions on strike and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) held on Friday failed as the IRDAI stuck to its stance of not reducing the 50% hike in third-party insurance rates. The strike, which recently spread to northern States, will continue, associations said.

The strike initially began in the five southern Indian States and Puducherry on March 30. On Friday, a statement by the South India Motor Transport Association said that even after a four-hour-long meeting between the two parties, an agreement could not be reached. “From midnight on April 8, the strike will spread across more areas as several more associations will join us from across the country,” the statement said.