Date:08/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/08/stories/2009010860850100.htm

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State buses to transport essential commodities

Special Correspondent

Truckers’ strike: Government planning to invoke ESMA

Number of lorries transporting foodgrains to APMC yards has substantially reduced
Task force constituted to monitor movement of essential commodities on a daily basis

R. Ashok

Bangalore: The State Government has directed transport corporations to permit freight transport in buses with immediate effect in view of the continuing truckers’ strike and the reported threat held out by some lorry operators’ associations that the strike would be extended to even to vehicles transporting essential commodities.

Minister for Transport R. Ashok, who chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials of the departments of police, transport and food and civil supplies, on Wednesday told presspersons that the Government was also planning to bring out an Ordinance to invoke the ESMA.

The Union Government, which has already invoked ESMA, is stated to have directed States to invoke the Act to ensure that supply of essential commodities is not affected.

Mr. Ashok said that all government buses would carry essential commodities to urban areas, in particular. If need be, a few seats in the buses would be dismantled to enable farmers and traders to transport them. Hitherto, buses were permitted to carry only a restricted quantum of freight on rooftops.

The number of lorries transporting foodgrains to the APMC yards in the State had substantially reduced over the last few days. According to latest information received at the State Secretariat, the number of lorries which arrived at the APMC yards on Wednesday had dropped to about 400 from about 1,000 on a normal day.

The Transport Minister said 950 buses of the BMTC, 550 of the KSRTC and 200 each of the Northwest Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and the Northeast Karnataka Road Transport Corporation would be made available to the authorities concerned to transport essential commodities, including milk, fruits and vegetables.

If need be, another 500 buses of the BMTC could also be made available to prevent any hardship to Bangaloreans. Further, 50 buses would also be provided specially to transport milk, he said.

Mr. Ashok said lorry operators in the State were on strike for the fifth time in about a year.

Managing Director of the KSRTC Gaurav Gupta told The Hindu that instructions had been issued to the crew of government buses to permit carrying of essential commodities.

A few seats in some buses would be removed based on the demand for transporting essential commodities, he said.

The Government has constituted a task force under the leadership of Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao to monitor movement of essential commodities on a daily basis.

The task force will look into the demand for buses to transport essential commodities.