Trucks bound for Ooty to pick up vegetables denied entry

Coimbatore: Trucks from across the state on the way to the Nilgiris district to pick up vegetables were turned away in Mettupalayam on Sunday.
Some vegetable dealers said they had come from as far as Viluppuram to pick up vegetables to take to the Monday markets in their districts, but had to go back empty.
While trucks were stopped in Mettupalayam last week also, 230 of them were allowed to go to the Nilgiris after negotiations.
M Karthik, a merchant, said he was stopped in Mettupalayam. “I was planning to load carrot, chayote and cabbage from the Nilgiris. More than 10 empty vehicles are stranded in Mettupalayam,” he told TOI.
Karthikeyan had spent Rs 10,000 for diesel, driver charge and miscellaneous maintenance for his truck. “We had to load carrot, beetroot and other produce from the hill station. But as we were not allowed to drive up, we had to turn back,” he said.
As they are returning without vegetables, they will have to pacify the merchants who depend on them, they said.
Coimbatore district administration officials meanwhile said vegetable trucks are allowed to move freely as they carry essential commodities.
Sources in the Nilgiris said that while vehicles from the district carrying vegetables were allowed to cross the border, those to the district were stopped. Nilgiris district administration officials were unavailable for comment.