BENGALURU: The first day of the nationwide truckers' strike passed off peacefully in the state on Friday with the supply of essential commodities like milk and medicines remaining unaffected.
The strike is called by several transporters' associations to draw the attention of the Union Government and to demand a reduction in diesel prices and other demands like toll-free national highways and national permits for buses and tourist vehicles.
According to G R Shanmugappa, President of the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners and Agent's Association, around 4.5 lakh trucks stayed off the roads across the state on Friday.
"In some Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards, a few trucks were plying but they are also expected to stay off the roads from Saturday. Our talks with the Central Government have only led to vague assurances which we cannot take at face value," he said. However, Shanmugappa added that the supply of essential commodities would not be affected by the strike.
The state transport department, which has set up monitoring teams across districts and a control room in Bengaluru, did not get many calls on Friday. "We are continuously monitoring the situation but on Friday there were very few calls," an official said. However, the situation could further deteriorate from July 23 when private bus operators are scheduled to join the strike. "They have said they will join from Monday, if they don't provide us a solution over the weekend," Shanmugappa said.
On Friday, truckers tried to block highways in some places across the state, including at Hiriyur, where they blocked the Pune-Bengaluru highway for a short duration. The truckers are demanding a system by which diesel prices would be revised every quarter. In addition, they also want a reduction in third party insurance premiums via exemption of GST as well as the abolition of excess commissions paid to agents through comprehensive insurance policies.
"We have been raising these issues with the Centre for more than a year and half. Everytime we are told that these issues would be discussed within two months but no solutions have been reached yet. We have no choice but to go on strike as the sector has been badly affected because of the increased costs," Shanmugappa said.