Date:21/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/21/stories/2008092154960700.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Lorry owners not to send vehicles to Karnataka from Oct. 1

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Lorry owners in the State have taken a decision not to send their vehicles to Karnataka from October 1 in protest against the unilateral decision of the neighbouring State with regard to the use of speed governors.

The leaders of Lorry Owners’ Associations have described as arbitrary and untenable the direction of the Karnataka Government that speed governors be fixed to all lorries, including those coming from other States, in a bid to restrict their speed to 60 kmph in the interests of road safety.

Y. Eeswara Rao, general secretary of AP Lorry Owners’ Association, said at a press conference on Saturday that they would have no objection if the norm of speed governors was implemented for new lorries, as it could be done at the stage of manufacturing itself.

He felt that it was not possible for owners of existing vehicles to fix speed governors.

Mr. Eeswara Rao said an appeal had been made to all lorry owners in the State not to send their vehicles from the specified date until a solution was found.

The issue would be discussed at the south zone coordination committee meeting of Lorry Owners’ Associations, covering the States of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Pondicherry soon, when a decision would be taken to chart out a future course of action if the Karnataka Government did not withdraw its decision.