Goods lorry truck strike completes five days; Price rise on the anvil in Kochi

KOCHI: As the indefinite goods lorry strike on Tuesday completed five days, the situation in Kochi is getting grimmer with the supply of fruits & vegetables reducing with each passing day.
As the state, in general, heavily dependent on the daily arrival of goods from across the border to fulfil demand is reporting a hike in prices across the spectrum of items of daily consumption.

The Vegetable & Fruits Promotional Council Keralam states the demand for home-grown items have definitely spiked since the strike began, prices are also up by 10-15 per cent in the city. Wholesale traders across the city are reporting a drop of 30 per cent deficit in supply, and a price of hike inching close to 20 per cent.

The strike initiated by the India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) and supported by the Kerala State Lorry Owners Federation (KSLOF), demands the reduction in fuel prices by the inclusion of petroleum products under GST, lesser third-party motor insurance premium and a sizeable cut-back on the road toll.
N Nandakumar,  state general secretary, KSLOF says the fruits & vegetable consignments are still finding its way into the state from Tamil Nadu, as the association is not actively stopping small trucks from plying on the road.

“Number of long-haul trucks from Andra Pradesh carrying essentials like rice, among others are quickly coming down as the strike enters the fifth day on Tuesday,” said Nandakumar. However, he expressed hope that the centre will hold conciliatory talks with AIMTC representatives by Wednesday, in a bid to end the stalemate.

Lorry owners warn of intensifying  stir

Palakkad: On the fifth day of their strike on Tuesday, the Kerala State Lorry Owners Federation (KSLOF) gave the Centre until Friday to initiate talks on their demands. “If the Centre does not hold talks with the lorry operators on strike by Friday, they will intensify their agitation from Saturday and will call on trucks supplying essential commodities to discontinue service,” KSLOF functionaries said.

The federation is observing the strike to express solidarity with the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) which had called for the nationwide stir. KSLOF state general secretary M Nandakumar said since Kerala was facing one of the worst natural disasters, KSLOF had not called for stopping of the ferrying of essential commodities.

“The Centre is yet to call the operators for discussions. The operators and workers have voluntarily decided to strike work. The flow of goods lorries into Kerala has reduced by one-tenth. The flow of vehicles loaded with vegetables to southern districts up to Kollam has also dwindled considerably,” he said.