Truckers call off two-day strike; services remain unaffected

The two-day strike called by lorry owners and transporters ended on Tuesday with the truckers association deciding to meet the transport minister on October 13 before deciding on their next step.

The strike did not affect normal life as the supply of essential services continued. Apart from the Rs 150 crore loss estimated due to the disruption in supply of construction materials, the strike is said to have caused a loss of Rs 6 crore as the sale of diesel came down.

On Tuesday, lorries parked on the side of the highways began operations in the afternoon. “Our intention was not disruption of transport services but to bring it to the Centre’s attention the suffering we are undergoing due to its policies,” said South Zone Motor Transporters’ Welfare Association General Secretary G R Shanmugappa.

He said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has caused a lot of distress to the transport sector. “We are bearing additional burden due to the daily revision of fuel prices. Despite repeated requests, the state and the Centre are yet to consider our demand regarding tolls on highways,” he said.

Meanwhile, the strike had no effect on suburbs where transporters continued business as usual. Munegowda, a lorry driver from Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural district said he had not heard of strike. “We carried sand as usual. Nobody stopped us in the name of strike. There is no change in the price of sand,” he said.