Supporting the truckers’ demand to roll back the diesel price rise, the Tamil Nadu Lorry Booking Agents’ Federation (TNLBAF) will freeze booking of consignments for destinations within Tamil Nadu and also in other States from September 18, federation president V. Rajavadivel told The Hindu in Namakkal on Friday.
In the town to take part in a meeting that was organised by the Namakkal Taluk Lorry Owners Association (NTLOA), Mr. Rajavadivel said the decision was unanimously taken by members of the federation and this has been passed on to all the 18 member-associations.
“We have decided to give the Union Government time till Monday to withdraw the price hike, failing which we will stop booking and loading from the following day. There will be no booking in more than 5,800 booking offices that are located across the State. Our strike will result in stagnation of goods to the tune of Rs. 2,000 crore in Tamil Nadu that is taken to different parts of the country and will directly affect the livelihood of lakhs of truckers, drivers, cleaners, mechanics and load men.”
Many more persons including traders who are solely dependent on trucks for taking goods to the retail sector will be indirectly affected, he said.
“However booking of all other commodities such as cement bags, iron bars, poultry and other meat products will be stopped,” he added.
Essentials will move
Mr. Rajavadivel made it clear that they will not stop booking and transportation of milk, medicines, water, other essential commodities and ration items as they will badly affect the common man.
According to him the vehicles carrying these commodities account for only about three to five per cent of the total number of trucks in the State. Answering a question he said that stagnation of other goods – as a result of their strike – will also affect the common man. “We have no other go but to fight in this manner to ensure that people get goods at a lesser price in the long run,” he concluded.
