Efforts underway to ensure strike does not affect supplies: U'khand govt

With the countrywide indefinite strike by commercial transporters entering its second day, the Uttarakhand government today stepped up efforts to ensure it does not affect essential supplies to hill areas of the state.

On the directions of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the commissioners of Garhwal and Kumaon regions and all the district magistrates have been asked to keep an eye on the situation and take precautionary measures to ensure that supplies of essential items are not affected by the strike, Additional Chief Secretary Om Prakash said.

Commercial motor transport vehicles are considered the lifeline of the hills and their going off the roads for a long time may affect supplies to remote hill areas.

The situation may turn worse in view of vulnerability of hill areas to natural disasters during monsoon.

Member of the national working committee of All India Motor Transport Congress Anusuiya Prasad Uniyal claimed that around 70000 transporters of Uttarakhand have joined the strike.

Though essential services have been kept out of the ambit of the strike, routine transportation of goods will remain suspended as long as the strike continues, he said.

Rishikesh and Kotdwar in the Garhwal region and Ramnagar and Haldwani in Kumaon are the major centres from where goods and supplies are transported to the hill areas of Uttarakhand .