The demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes has led to the stranding of over a lakh lorries from Tamil Nadu, both within the State and elsewhere, for the past three days due to non-availability of legal tender with the crew.
The lorry drivers are unable to exchange the scrapped currency notes that they are carrying.
Tamil Nadu accounts for about 2.25 lakh lorries regularly transporting all varieties of goods inside the State and to other parts of the country. A majority of the lorries are from the districts of Namakkal, Salem, Karur, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, and they transport cement, iron materials, sago, millets, pulses, dry fruits and cotton bales to north Indian States, and vegetables to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
As of Tuesday evening, about one lakh lorries — 35,000 in other States and 65,000 in Tamil Nadu — were stuck, according to lorry owners.
