Availability of essential commodities could be hit as truckers have announced indefinite strike from Friday midnight against restrictions imposed on entry of trucks to the city.
Since January 1, the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) have banned movement of lorries inside the city from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The announcement came after talks between lorry owners and the traffic police failed. G. R. Shanmukhappa, President, Federation of Lorry Owners and Agents Association, said that they had urged the police to allow trucks to operate from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A long-term solution to ease traffic is to shift markets outside the city and reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads, he added.
Even as a truckers’ strike was announced from Friday midnight, the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) sought changes in the timings on the ban on movement of trucks within the city.
At an interaction with the police on Tuesday, FKCCI president S. Sampathraman said there should be no restrictions on trucks carrying up to nine tonnes of essential commodities, such as fruits, vegetables, pulses and food grains. On the other hand, movement of other trucks should be allowed between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. within the city, except in congested areas like Chikpete, he added.
Representatives from the State’s Department of Agricultural Marketing justified the demand to allow movement of trucks carrying fruits and vegetables saying that 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. were their business hours.
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Secretary H.K. Chandramohan said, “We have made identity cards compulsory for these trucks. Allowing them to ply will actually ease traffic in Yeswanthpur.”
B. Channa Reddy, president, Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owner’s Association, also pointed out that finding labour is a problem and lorry owners had to pay salaries and taxes despite several trucks going empty.
V.R. Fernandez from the Karnataka Goods Transport Association pointed out that the garment industry is also suffering as export goods were not reaching ports on time.
M.N. Babu Rajendra Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, East (Traffic) promised to “look into” their suggestions.
