Stranded truck drivers hope for early resolution
It has been five days since Jaan Mohammad, 24, a truck driver, was stranded on the Kundli Highway near the Singhu border (connecting Haryana with Delhi) as thousands of farmers continued to camp on the road demanding the withdrawal of the Centre’s new farm laws.
“I am the son of a farmer. I understand why farmers are protesting and I support them. But being stranded on the highway has become an ordeal for drivers like me,” he said, even as at least a dozen others gathered around him nodded in agreement.
A resident of Dahej in Gujarat, Mohammad had travelled around 1,153km to his destination — a plastic factory in the Kundli Industrial Area . He was scheduled to reach by November 27, but then the farmers’ protest started and the Singhu border got blocked; his truck now stands parked merely two kilometres from its destination, unable to move an inch forward for the past five days.
Dozens of other drivers are similarly stranded on the Kundli Highway with no place to go as they wait for the road blockade to end.
Since they cannot abandon their trucks laden with wares, the truckers are forced to live, eat, and sleep at the spot with the farmers. With nothing to do, groups of them could be spotted playing cards or watching protest videos on their phones on Tuesday.
Sadashiv Pandey, 48, who was to deliver thread spools to the Kundli Industrial Area on Friday, said, “While the farmers have been kind enough to feed us langar ( community kitchen), it is at a little distance from where we are and so we rely on food from nearby hotels. This is increasing our
I understand why farmers are protesting and I support them. But being stranded on the highway has become an ordeal for drivers like me JAAN MOHAMMAD,
Truck driver
daily expenses,” he said.
Increasing daily expenses are not the only issue, say truckers. Karan Singh, 37, who was driving from Chandigarh to deliver chemicals at a factory in south- east Delhi’s Okhla area, said the transport and logistics business would be hit if these trucks aren’t able to make enough trips.
“A lot of truck owners have to pay EMIs. The lockdown had hit their business hard and they are already cash-strapped. How will they pay their loans if the vehicle remains stationary for days and aren’t able to make trips? Although we are salaried employees, it will affect our earning as well. If the boss doesn’t have money, how will he pay us?” he said.
“The government should listen to these farmers and solve their problems. Nobody would choose to live on the road unless they were forced to,” he said.
Naveen Gupta, general secretary of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) said, “Entry of trucks into Delhi has come to an almost halt. An estimated 1,500 trucks are stuck. Per day, the losses being faced by truck owners is around ₹ 2,500 per truck, including taxes, cost of the driver and the loss in the number of trips,” he said.