From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 3: The Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners Association along with Karnataka State Tourist Private Vehicle Owners Association have jointly announced a countrywide strike if the Union Government failed to reduce the diesel prices and meet their other demands within a month.

Addressing a joint news conference in Bengaluru on Monday, the president of the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners Association B Channa Reddy, vice-president B Srinivasa Rao and Karnataka State Tourist Private Vehicle Owners Association president Byrava Siddaramaiah said the centre’s decisions on levy of 'abnormal taxes on diesel and petrol' adding to the misery of lakhs of truck owners of the country and thereby curtailing their capacity to give employment to crores of people.

They announced that the truck owners and their associations in different states will meet and take a decision to launch a countrywide strike if their genuine demands on reducing diesel and petrol prices and other taxes were not reduced within a month.

As many as 93 lakh trucks are engaged in goods transport by road. Out of the 93 lac trucks, 90% are owned by single truck owners. The running cost of a truck is Rs 26 per kilometre towards diesel. Almost all the trucks are owned by individuals, who are buying on hire purchase system. They have to compulsorily pay the monthly installments or lose the vehicles for non-payment. The trucking industry is engaged by lakhs of people in the country and generating employment to crores of people, they explained.

In a joint statement, they said: "In these hard times, the central government has increased the diesel rate abnormally, which is not because of International Crude price," they said pointing out that taxes on diesel in India is levied up to 260% by both central and state governments.

"The goods transport industry by road is playing a very important role in the economic activity of the country. The other modes of transport like railways, airways and waterways are totally depending on transport by road. Today the clearance of goods in the above transport modes is happening by the road transport system because, the clearing in the rail heads, airports and shipyards, are being done by road transport using trucks only," the statement said.