Lorry owners, who ply sand to Chennai, threatened to go on an indefinite strike from August 10 if the practice of overloading in sand stockyards continued.
Members of the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners Federation have sought the State government’s intervention to curb the practice of overloading prevailing in the stockyards. Though the government directive allowed six wheelers to carry two units and 10-wheelers to carry three units, they were forced to carry three to five units respectively, they complained. One unit of sand comprises 4.5 tonnes.
The Federation’s president S. Yuvaraj said: “We pay Rs. 5,000 as fine for every additional unit load of sand. At toll plazas, we are fined 10 times the amount collected as toll fee. Despite seeking a solution against overloading, no efforts have been initiated so far,” he said.
Overloading also leads to revenue loss for the government, he added.
As a mark of protest, nearly 15,000 lorries plying in Chennai region, including Villupuram and Kancheepuram, will not operate from August 10.
If the practice continues, members plan to extend their strike across the State.
Owners complain that they are being forced to carry one to two units of more sand from the stockyards
