Rice millers strike takes vehicles off road

The on-going indefinite strike of rice millers in support of their various demands had put more than 5000 vehicles engaged in transportation off road.

Over 1500 rice mill owners in the state have resorted to indefinite strike from April 1 in protest against government's decision to extend duration for mandatory custom milling from 2 months to 6 months.

The other demands include increasing the custom milling charges fromRs 35 to Rs 75 per quintal and clearing the dues.

The rice millers are also demanding withdrawal of ban on export-import of paddy and rice and checking the alleged arbitrary attitude of the officers of Food Corporation of India (FCI).

"The strike had resulted in incurring a loss of Rs 150 crore per day in the state," Chhattisgarh rice millers' association president Yogesh Agrawal said.

While 300,000 labourers had been rendered jobless across the state, transportation work had also come to a standstill.

Agrawal claimed that more than 5000 trucks engaged in the paddy and rice transportation work had been stationed at the garage.

"The rice mills in Chhattisgarh, which is known as rice bowl of India even abroad, is in the dying stage," he said, adding that the millers had been mentally tortured by the officials by seizing the rice stock in the pretext of quality.

The rice mill association president said they were left with no other option than to go on indefinite strike.The state government had not taken any initiative as of now to end the deadlock.