Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Lorry strike called off

CHENNAI: After the nation-wide trucker and lorry strike was called off on Friday, about 70 per cent truckers returned to work in the State. As a result, the movement of goods such as vegetables, textiles and other materials, which had been stalled in the past two days, resumed.

R. Sugumar, convener of the All India Motor Transport Congress, said transport operators were satisfied with the Central government’s consent to stick to the 2004 agreement concluded by the Finance Ministry and not to raise service taxes levied on them.

He said the government’s promise to make ordinary diesel available at all National Highway roads came as a relief to truck and lorry owners across the nation.

Assuming the strike would prolong for a few more days, several drivers and helpers had returned home. “Many drivers parked their vehicles in the city and went back home. These drivers will resume work only from Monday onwards,” he said.

The wholesale market at Koyambedu received considerable stock of produce from other States on Friday. About 200-250 lorry loads of vegetables were transported to the market from across the State and neighbouring States. Vendors said the arrivals would increase by Friday night.

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