By: Shahnawaz Alam
REWARI: At least 6,000 trucks laden with goods have been stuck on the Delhi-Jaipur highway for the past seven days because of the farmers’ protest at Jaisinghpur Khera. Since most of these heavy vehicles are 16-wheelers, they can’t take alternative routes cutting through villages because they are too narrow.
Transporters said many of these trucks, which had left with factory supplies from different places in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, were just a few kilometres from their destinations in Gurgaon and Delhi, but hadn’t been able to move an inch in the past week.
Both transporters and industries supplying goods have been counting losses. While truck owners are having to pay for the maintenance of vehicles and their drivers, work in factories has also taken a hit due to lack of supplies. The trucks are stranded in 12 places on the highway, including Shahjahanpur, Neemrana, Behror, Paniyala, Kathputli and Manoharpur.
“The situation is such that even if the blockade is lifted now, it will take at least a week for all the trucks to be able to move smoothly,” said Rajender Aggarwal, general secretary of the Rajasthan Transport Welfare Association.
According to him, the truck owners are facing a loss of Rs 2,500 per vehicle every day. “This includes taxes for the vehicle, the daily payment of drivers and loss in the number of trips. Since there is a delay, even the clients are unlikely to pay the entire amount for the transport of goods,” Aggarwal said.
Transporters have appealed to the government to look into their issues. “The government should also consider our problems along with those of the farmers. In the past seven days, we haven’t got any fresh orders,” said Deepak, the owner of Shri Mahavir Transport Company.