Lorries stay off the road in delta districts, farmers worried about disruption in transportation of paddy

Lorries remained off the road in the delta districts on Monday following the strike call given by the State Lorry Owners Federation-Tamil Nadu (SLOFT).

Inquiries reveal that the federation called for the strike, to begin with in delta districts on Monday, as its plea to the State government to fix an affordable fitness certificate renewal charges, which was increased by the Union Government last year, failed to evoke a favourable response.

As the movement of lorries in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts had come to a grinding halt, wherein nearly two-thirds of the total number of around 10,000 lorries deployed for the transportation of paddy from the direct purchase centres to the various godowns in delta districts were registered in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts, the impact of the strike on movement of paddy in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts could be felt in the days to come, sources said.

The lorry owners, who have leased out their vehicles for transportation of paddy to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation paddy transport contractors, said they were not earning any profit by letting out their vehicles to the TNCSC contractors.

The hire charges offered by the middlemen, on most occasions, were enough to meet only the operational costs. Such being the case, the steep hike in FC charges came as a bolt from the blue, sources added.

Owners’ demand

Lorry owners in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and parts of Cuddalore districts went on strike on Monday demanding a reduction in the steep hike in fees for renewal of vehicle fitness certificates (FC), raising concerns over possible accumulation of paddy bags during the ongoing samba harvest season.

Lorry owners, besides opposing the increase in charges, objected to the mandatory installation of GPS devices, saying the cost was prohibitively high, and urged the government to roll back the order.

Nagapattinam Paddy Lorry Owners’ Association president Pandian and former president Dakshinamoorthy said operators were running at a loss and the fee increase had worsened their financial burden. They warned that the agitation would continue if talks with the authorities failed to yield a solution. They said thousands of vehicles were off the road as operators were unable to afford the revised fees, severely affecting those in the delta region.

With samba harvest under way in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and other delta districts, paddy procured at purchase centres is awaiting transportation. Farmers expressed concern that any delay could lead to stockpiling and raising the risk of rain damage.