Truckers to Haryana government: Reduce fuel prices, grant relief

GURUGRAM: Scores of truckers and transporters staged a protest in the city on Wednesday against rising fuel prices and lack of aid from the state government to pull the transportation sector out of a financial crisis.
United under the banner of Bharat Truck and Transport Welfare Association, the protesters demanded a relief package from the state and central governments. They gathered outside the old judicial complex in Sector 15 around 10am on Wednesday. Besides raising slogans against the fuel price hike, protesters also condemned the government for charging hefty penalties under the new Motor Vehicle Act and the ‘harassment’ at the hands of police and toll collectors.
Truckers bemoaned that presently nearly 90% of the vehicles standing on the roads are gathering dust as the business is at all-time low. To add to the misery of decreased income, truckers have to deal with rising diesel prices, EMIs and increased taxes.
“We had called a meeting of all the truckers and transporters to discuss the worsening condition of the transport sector. The second wave of Covid-19 and the resulting lockdown has wiped away all our hopes for revival and everyone is reeling under a deep financial crisis. The financial woes are further aggravated by the rise in fuel prices and the hefty traffic challans that presently stand at least 10 times more than before,” the association’s district president Ranveer Singh said.
Truckers warned that if their demands aren’t met, they’ll be forced to observe ‘chakka jams’ across the country.