CHENNAI: Truckers plying on Puzhal bypass were stranded for over 24 hours as gusty winds of cyclone Vardah has toppled their vehicles and the demonetisation has left them with no cash in hand to hire cranes for the rescue.
As Express reported, the trucks were overturned on Monday afternoon at around 2.30 pm when the winds gained maximum velocity of 110 km/hr and the vehicles were lifted only at 4.30 pm on Tuesday.
Recounting the ordeal, Dhanraj of Baba Logistics, whose vehicle overturned while coming from Pune to Ambattur, said a sub-contractor from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had visited them on Tuesday morning and said he has one crane and would need another to lift the toppled vehicles off the road. The private crane operator was demanding `7,000 for each truck.
Lying ont eh middle of the road, the 6-wheelers and 10-wheelers have hampered traffic movement for several hours. Attempts by the contractor and traffic police, who were present on the spot, to convince the prive crane operator to clear the road and collect the money later weren't fruitful.
Dhanraj and other truckers have visited almost all the ATMs in surrounding areas but found no luck. Finally, the crane operator agreed to accept cheques for `5,000 and cleared the road by 5 pm.
Sub-contractor RV Raghavan told Express that on Tuesday morning he managed to lift three of the toppled trucks. "Few have managed to mobilise cash for another crane, but others who didn't have cash in hand found it hard which delayed our efforts to clear the road."
Meanwhile, one of the truckers lamented that the fuel tank of his vehicle got damaged, draining entire 400 litres of diesel. Some miscreants have even stolen goods from another vehicle, which was carrying empty plastic 20 litre cans.
Hanuman Shekawat, owner of a Haryana-registered truck, alleged that despite local police getting the message of the incident on Monday evening there was no patrolling vehicle on the route. "When the drivers were asleep, some miscreants have robbed their mobile phones and torch lights," he added.