The Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners’ Association called off their nine-day-long sand lorry strike on Thursday after the government promised to meet their conditions until the formation of a new sand policy.
The sand lorry owners, who went on strike on July 10 in protest against the restrictions imposed on movement of sand lorries, met the officials of the Public Works Department including Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, paving the way for the settlement of their demands.
Association president B Chenna Reddy said in a press release that the government had agreed to restrict the maximum fine imposed on the lorry without a valid permit to Rs. 10,000 before releasing the vehicle. Apart from this, the government also agreed to not file criminal complaints against the lorry drivers/owners.
The association has been urging the government to come up with a sand policy that will ensure legal sand transportation to the State. The association members had previously asked the government to provide proper permits to check illegal transportation and had said that permits had been provided for only 1,200 sand loads a day in the State, though the requirement was about 13,000 lorry loads a day.
Bangalore city alone requires 3,000 loads per day.
