Coimbatore: Truckers in the district have decided to hike the rental rates by 20%, as fuel prices have increased by 18.5% since June. With the diesel and petrol prices going upwards of Rs 83 per litre and Rs 90 per litre, respectively, in the recent price hike, truckers also blamed both the Union and state governments for not reducing taxes on fuel.
Truckers said fuel prices had been increasing by a few paise or a rupee almost weekly after the introduction of dynamic pricing.
N Murugesan, president, Coimbatore District Lorry Owners’ Association, said, “The price of diesel has gone up to Rs 83 per litre in February second week, up Rs 13 from Rs 70 in June. It’s an 18.5% hike in nine months. With the fuel price on the rise, it is hard to keep our rentals at the old price.”
He said the truck rental prices would now be hiked by 20%. “Hiring a small lorry from Coimbatore to Chennai used to cost Rs 12,000-Rs 13,000 earlier. Now, it will cost around Rs 15,000. Hiring a 10-wheeler and 12-wheeler to Chennai will now cost upwards of Rs 18,000 and Rs 24,000, respectively, from Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 earlier.”
Lorry owners said while transport was the next most important sector after agriculture, both the central and state governments hadn’t provided any concessions to it. “If the Centre were to bring fuel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), prices would reduce. And if the state government were to reduce or remove value-added tax (VAT) on fuel as in states such as Kerala and Karnataka, prices would drop by around Rs 2.50 per litre,” Murugesan said.