Reportedly lorries and trucks in the country, which carry food items, oil and other consumer goods, have announced a nationwide strike to protest against the heavy fines under the amended Motor Vehicles Act. Meanwhile All india Motor Transport Congress has called for the strike, Tamilnadu Food, Oil and Tanker Lorry Owners Association said it will join to register their disagreement and the strike has been called on September 19 from 6 am to 6 pm.
When speaking to TNM, Janakiraman, the secretary of the association in Tamilnadu, said that lorry owners and drivers are protesting against the exorbitant fines and the association has around 4.75 lakh lorries under its wing. Furthermore the lorry strike across the country would disrupt the supply of essential items such as milk, vegetables and fuel, among others. Further even though the strike is for 12 hours, the shortage in supply might extend to two days, especially when it comes to perishable items.
Reportedly “The new hefty fines are just to fatten the pockets of the RTO officials”. Clarifying that while the union accepts heavy penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol, it is the penalty for overloading trucks that has ruffled a lot of feathers among the fraternity. As per report “Earlier, the fine for overloading was Rs 1 per kilogram. But now, it is Rs 20,000 for overloading and an additional amount of Rs 2,000 per tonne overloaded onto the vehicle,” he says, giving an example, “A lorry, which has a carrying capacity of 10 tonnes but is carrying 20 tonnes of goods, will be fined Rs 40,000 totally."
