Members of the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners’ Federation resorted to a novel protest in the city on Friday, holding a mock Budget session against the continuous hike in diesel prices. They prepared halwa, similar to the customary halwa ceremony which precedes a Union Budget session.
“We already staged a few demonstrations earlier on the fuel price hike in the city. We thought of the mock Budget session and halwa preparation to gain the government’s attention,” said S. Yuvaraj, president of the federation.
Members raised slogans against the hike and underscored the need to bring fuel under the Goods and Services Tax to control pricing.
“We cooked about 10 kg of halwa and sent a portion of it to the Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel by courier, along with our charter of demands,” he said.
The cost of diesel has been rising for the past 25 days and it may soon touch ₹100 a litre. Many lorry operators were unable to operate services, Mr. Yuvaraj said. The federation also worked out the operating cost of a 10-wheeled vehicle and the loss incurred per month. Besides bringing fuel price under the GST, the federation demanded a price revision must be done on a quarterly or half-yearly basis instead of a daily increase.
Noting that trade was severely hit, Mr. Yuvaraj said toll charges must be waived off for six months after the lockdown. The amount could also be collected in instalments. The State government could fix transportation charges, he added.
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