Bangaloreans reel under double whammy

Bangaloreans reel under double whammy

Senthalir S. Bangalore
The truckers' strike entered the fourth day on Thursday and the agitation by officers of oil PSUs its second day.
The city reeled under a double whammy as woes in the vegetable, fruit and commodity markets were further compounded by most petrol bunks in the city downing their shutters for lack of stocks. The few bunks which remained open, most of them of private oil companies, had serpentine queues of vehicles lined up before them.
Supply of vegetables, fruits and commodities were disrupted. However, the supply of medicine, milk and newspapers remained undisturbed.
Federation of Lorry Owners and Agents' Association president GR Shanmugappa said the truckers were waiting for the government to talk to them. "The state government is planning to impose ESMA on us. We will face it head on," he said.
The federation president said that about 3,000 trucks did not enter the APMC yards on Thursday. More than 7,000 lorries have stayed put on the outskirts of the city. "We will continue the strike till our demands are met," federation secretary Narayanappa said.
The Federation of Goods Trucks Association has condemned the government's move to impose ESMA on truckers.
Bhaskar Rao, Transport Commissioner, said that a high-level meeting will be held on Friday. "There is adequate supply of essential commodities. The Lorry Owners' Association is also working. So it will not affect public much," he added.
Now, there is a ray of hope that all the inconvenience caused by the strike could soon end as the truckers and government authorities have agreed to meet on Friday afternoon to discuss the issue.
The demands of the striking truckers include reduction in diesel prices by Rs 8-10. They have sought tyre prices to be reduced from Rs28,000 to Rs20,000. They have also sought exemption from the purview of the service tax and reduction of toll on national highways.