KOCHI: The Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed concern over the decision of Lorry Owners Association along with the trade union coordination committee to launch an indefinite strike from Sunday at the International Container Transshipment Terminal.
The Lorry owners have declared the strike in protest against the failure of the Cochin Port Trust to provide a parking space for the containers.
The Lorry Owners Association has threatened to launch the agitation as the district collector had banned parking of trucks on the Container Road following a series of accidents.
Calling for a speedy resolution, Cochin Chamber President CS Kartha said that the issue did not need to lead to the total stoppage of work at the port and container terminal.
“We are disappointed to note that the Cochin Port Trust’s proposal to provide Truck Parking Yards on Vallarpadam Island is yet to materialize”, Kartha said in a statement .
It is estimated that nearly 600 container carriers operate daily on this road. The Port Trust authorities had identified 5.5 acres of land for providing parking space to these vehicles.
“The current strike is totally uncalled for and would once again bring into question the credibility of Kochi port and its operations", Kartha said.
The previous strike by Lorry owners for wage revision had resulted in the piling up of around 7,000 import and 3,000 export containers at the terminal for clearance, he added.
