Kerala - Kochi

Inter-State goods movement to be hit

KOCHI: Though lorries from Kerala are not part of the nation-wide goods transporters’ strike from Monday, the agitation will affect inter-State movement of commodities.

The transporters are on strike demanding reduction in the price of diesel by at least Rs.10 a litre, in keeping with the fall in the international price of crude oil. They have sought exemption from payment of toll for six months and permission for free movement of vehicles across the country without permits and taxes. Another demand is amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act and the Carriers Act.

Lorry operators in the State are keeping away from the strike since the demands have little bearing on them. Most goods transporters hire lorries to ferry their cargo. Sources in the transport industry said that the goods transporters had embarked on the strike to pressure the government on different counts.

Most of the transporters have not paid to the government the service fee that they collected from customers. There are also many who are yet to pay the mandatory cess. The strike is increasingly being seen as a method to make the government go soft on its insistence on service fee and cess.

A, Jayaprakash, secretary of the Kerala State Lorry Owners’ Federation, said the stir would affect the movement of lorries from the State that carried cargo to, and from, other States.

The supply of vegetables, eggs, rice and so on was likely to be affected if the strike prolonged.

People will have to wait for a day more to see how the strike would affect the availability of perishables, said N.H. Shameed, general secretary of the Ernakulam Market Stall Owners’ Association. “Vegetable farmers from neighbouring States will not harvest their crops if the agitation prolongs.

This will affect the availability of essential commodities and may result in jacked up prices. As of now, most shops have sufficient quantity of rice and other non-perishables,” he said.

The strike by operators of bullet lorries that transport LPG to bottling plants has ended. Sources said that this followed discussions held in Chennai on Sunday and Monday. Since the plant in Kollam had run out of LPG, lorries from the production centres would give priority to reach the commodity to Kollam on a priority basis.

They said that oil-sector officers would reportedly embark on a strike from Wednesday, raising various demands.

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