Over seven lakh transport vehicles, including tourist and office cabs, petroleum tankers and those transporting essential goods such as vegetables, milk and medicines, are set to go off the road indefinitely from the midnight of January 11 in support of the strike by sand transporters, which entered the 14 day on Friday.
Even commercial vehicles from neighbouring States will not be entering Karnataka.
There are 1.32 lakh maxi cabs, 40,000 goods transport vehicles, including 3,500 tankers transporting petroleum products, and about 30,000 sand lorries in the State.
Sand transporters are on strike against the new sand policy unveiled by the State, saying that the policy is against the interest of transporters.
The transporters arrived at this decision during an emergency meeting here on Friday in which representatives of transporters from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu took part.
“We are intensifying our strike and commercial transport segment will be off the road from midnight on January 11 to show solidarity with us. Though we have not called for commercial vehicle strike that could affect transport of vegetables, medicines and milk, they have indicated to us that they would also join the strike,” president of Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association G.R. Shanmugappa told presspersons after the meeting.
He said that despite the construction industry, thousands of construction workers and labourers working with sand transporters suffering from the strike, the government had not come forward to resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, chairman of All India Taxi, Maxi Cab and Bus Owners Association K.G. Ravindra said that they had decided to join the strike to show solidarity with the sand transporters and to seek changes in rules that has affected tourist taxi segment too.
“The implementation of minimum qualification (eighth standard) for cab drivers has affected the industry. The annual entry tax imposed by the State government has affected movement of passenger transport vehicles between neighbouring States. Both have to be reviewed by the government,” he said and added that they would notify the IT/ BT and other companies dependent on cab services about the strike.
He said that they will inform their other customers, including tourists, about the strike so that they can make alternative arrangements.
