Thousands of lorries transporting paddy and other essentials in Tiruvarur district stayed off the road for the last two days following a dispute over freight charges between vehicle and rice mill owners.
Enquiries revealed that vehicle owners had demanded the government fixed rate of freight charges to transport rice bags from TNCSC godowns to private rice mills but mill owners demanded services at a rate affordable to them. Some private mill owners claimed that they preferred to transport the consignment from TNCSC godowns to their units in their own vehicles as it helped them avoid loss of foodgrains.
When this issue was brought to the notice of the district administration, a tripartite meeting was held where nothing tangible emerged as mill owners stood firm on their ground. So, lorry owners said that they would go for an indefinite strike from May 9 and kept their vehicles off the road.
Though the strike by lorry owners would in no way affect the functioning of private rice mills as they had made arrangements for transport of rice bags from godowns to their units, it might disturb the public distribution system in the days to come if the lorry owners decide to continue the strike, sources said.