KOZHIKODE: A section of tipper lorry owners announced that they would go on an indefinite strike from Thursday midnight protesting against the suspension of licences of drivers by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) citing weight norm violations. Association leaders said the MVD was inspecting vehicles with a sense of hostility, and that too after tipper lorry drivers voluntarily decided to comply with rules.
M. Nishab, regional president, Tipper Lorry Owners’ Association, said some drivers whose licences were suspended were struggling to make a living. “We had sought a review of the order on compassionate grounds, but the MVD was reluctant to consider it,” he alleged.
Mr. Nishab said quarry owners were responsible for overloading lorries without the standard weighing mechanism. “They now use earth movers to load vehicles, making it almost impossible for drivers to weigh them for legal compliance,” he claimed.
The association leaders made it clear that they would not call off the strike unless quarry owners and the MVD looked into the issue and chalked out a solution. They also said overloaded vehicles were fetching no additional revenue other than causing mechanical complaints and damage to roads.
Flaying the enforcement wings, members of the Kozhikode Jilla Motor and Engineering Workers’ Union took out a march to the collectorate on Thursday. Union leaders said the MVD squads were showing unjustifiable zeal in suspending licenses even in small cases that could be settled through fines.
Meanwhile, the union did not agree with tipper lorry owners’ decision to go on an indefinite stir. Such an unexpected strike will stall goods movement during the festival season, they said.
