Lorry owners to hike freight charges by 30%

The Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Federation plans to increase freight charges by 30% from March 3. They cited various issues, including the steep hike in fuel prices.

The Federation plans to hold a consultation meeting in the city on March 3 to discuss long-pending demands. Some of the demands include a reduction in fuel prices and bringing petrol and diesel under the purview of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Murugan Venkatachalam, president of the federation, said, “We have made several representations about our demands. We will also take a decision on boycotting the Assembly election during the meeting.”

There were plans to increase freight charges by 30%, Mr. Venkatachalam said. For instance, those trucks plying a distance of more than 100 km would increase the charges by ₹250 per tonne, he added.

The vehicle-scrapping policy would affect 20 lakh families, dependent on the trade in the State. The government must provide jobs to one of the affected family members as compensation, he said.

The federation also wanted toll collection to be stopped on the expiry of agreements, he said. A series of demonstrations have also been planned after the meeting.