Hundreds of lorries were parked haphazardly
Lorries were halted at the Walayar check post on the first day of strike in Coimbatore on Thursday. (Photo: DC)
Lorries were halted at the Walayar check post on the first day of strike in Coimbatore on Thursday. (Photo: DC)
NAMAKKAL/NAMAKKAL: In the truckers town of Namakkal, hundreds of lorries were parked haphazardly across the town as the truckers all over the country began an indefinite strike, demanding closure of all toll plazas on the national highways.
About seven lakh trucks carrying consignments to different parts of the country from TN did not ply on Thursday. As many as one crore eggs which had to transported across TN, neighbouring Kerala and various parts of north India could not be moved from the poultry farms in Namakkal due to the truckers’ strike. Transport of fruits and vegetables from AP and Karnataka to TN have also come to a halt, raising fears of a steep hike in prices of vegetables and fruits in retail markets.
“We have decided not to ply the trucks carrying eggs from Namakkal. However, we cannot preserve the eggs for more than two days, the state government has to give protection for lorries transporting eggs,” said the TN Poultry Owners Association president, R. Nallathambi. Every day, about 3.25 crore eggs produced in Namakkal poultries are transported by 800 lorries to various parts of the country.
25,000 lorries stay off roads in Coimbatore
Around 25,000 lorries kept off the roads in Coimbatore on Thursday in support of the nation wide strike called by the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).
Lorries were stationed at lorrypet in Coimbatore and along the stretch of Walayar. K.S. Kaliay Perumal, president of Coimbatore Lorry Owners Association said that over 15,000 lorries in city and 10,000 lorries in rural Coimbatore did not ply, which caused a business loss of upto '1.5 crore.
The strike was called by truckers demanding removal of the tollgates on the national highways across the entire country. Though the impact of lorry strike was not felt on its first day, the cost of vegetables and fruits are likely to go up in the coming days.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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