Truckers' strike causes loss of Rs 70 bn worth of goods trade in Tamil Nadu

Vegetable prices at Chennai's Koyambedu market have gone up by 15-20% due to the strike.

Truckers Strike : Due to the ongoing all-India strike by truck operators, Rs 70 billion worth of trade in goods has been affected in Tamil Nadu alone, said All India Motor Transport Congress' (AIMTC's) representatives.

Vegetable prices are also soaring in various parts of the state, especially in Chennai, due to the strike.

Truck operators are demanding the closure of toll plazas across the country. They are also pressing for the acceptance of a charter of demands, including a reduction in fuel prices and uniform national pricing with quarterly revision, among other things. They have been on strike for the past five days.

C Dhanaraj, secretary of the State Lorry Owners Federation – Tamil Nadu, which is spearheading the strike in the state, said that almost its entire 460,000-strong truck force was off the roads, causing a loss of Rs 3 billion every day.

G R Shanmugappa, south zone general secretary of the AIMTC, said that due to the strike, good worth Rs 70 billion were stuck in various parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the stock of textiles has piled up in the towns of Tirupur, Karur, and Erode and from other major textile production centres in the state.

Tirupur Exporters Association President Raja M Shanmugham said, "The ongoing indefinite lorry strike has created a major impact on Tirupur's knitwear exporting units as they could not transport the finished garments for shipment either through seaports at Thoothukudi, Chennai, Kochi, and Mumbai or through airports at Chennai, Bengaluru and Kochi."

He added that in the "season-conscious and design-driven export market", on-time supply is a major factor. Shanmugham said that any delay would not be appreciated by foreign buyers at a time when Indian exporters are competing with countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Vietnam, and China in the international market.

Shanmugham added that given the nature of production activities in the Tirupur cluster, the stoppage of vehicle movement from garment units to outside job working units -- like knitting, dyeing, compacting, printing, embroidery, checking, ironing, and packing -- will affect production. Further, he said that these job working units would not be in a position to provide work to their employees as a result.

Reports stated that tension prevailed at the goods yard in the Namakkal railway station. While rice meant for the public distribution system was being loaded onto lorries from the goods compartments, a group of truck operators arrived on the scene and entered into an argument with the Railway Goods Yard Lorry Owners Association and prevented the loading operation.

Vegetable prices at Chennai's Koyambedu market have gone up by 15-20 per cent due to the strike. Tomato prices have increased by Rs 5 to Rs 25 a kg, big onion prices have increased by Rs 5 to Rs 25 a kg, small onion prices have increased by Rs 25 to Rs 65 a kg, potato prices have increased by Rs 6 to Rs 25 a kg, green chilli prices have increased by Rs 5 to Rs 35 a kg, and carrot prices have increased by Rs 20-25 to Rs 50-55 a kg.

Around 300 lorries used to come to the market every day. However, due to the ongoing strike, lorries from other states are not coming to the market, which has led to the increase in prices.

Article Source BS