Several businesses hit; over 50K daily wagers left jobless
KANPUR : The decision of the UP Motor Transport Congress (UPMTC) to join the nationwide strike of transporters has hit several businesses hard, besides leaving over 50,000 daily wage earners jobless in this top business city of Uttar Pradesh.
The supply of building material, vegetables and fruits have been hit due to the strike and traders fear a rise in prices of these goods.
The transport business generated a daily revenue of Rs 150 crore in the city and this is the main casualty.
The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) has given an indefinite strike call in support of their demands.
UPMTC leaders, including Gulshan Gandhi and Ajai Kapoor, said loading and unloading of goods and booking of consignments would remain suspended till the strike was called off.
The transporters demands include quarterly review of diesel prices, exemption from toll tax, end of TDS deduction on transport business, simplifying the e-way bill system, issue of national permits for buses and tourist buses, exemption from GST, transparency in third party insurance premium and recalling of Direct Port Delivery (DPD) system.
Following the strike call, transporters stopped booking goods from Thursday noon and suspended movement of trucks from 6 am on Friday. The trucks on their way to some destination were directed to take a halt at appropriate places till the strike ended. About 18,000 trucks come to Transport Nagar in the city for loading and unloading goods every day. Similarly, about 1000 trucks visit the railway godown for transporting goods.
Meanwhile, about 5,000 trucks were stranded in the city and supply of vegetables, building material and other goods was affected.
According to vegetable dealer Rajesh Misra, the strike would hamper the supply of onion and its prices could shoot up. Umesh Singh Tomar, a fruit dealer, said supply of apples from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir would be affected.