Lockdown extension: Renewed concern among transporters regarding sustenance: AIMTC

Truckers' body All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) on Tuesday said there is renewed concern among transport sector regarding its sustenance due to the extension of the lockdown while seeking Rs 200 crore from the government's coronavirus combat corpus to ensure food and water for drivers and helpers on the move.

The truckers body also claimed that while the home ministry has issued directives that trucks carrying goods, essential or non-essential or empty vehicle should not be stopped but on the ground local authorities are not honouring it in many places and stated if such a scenario persists then the scarcity of essential supplies is inevitable.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to extend the lockdown till May 3, AIMTC Chairman Core Committee and former president Bal Malkit Singh said,"...there is renewed concern among the transport sector regarding its sustenance".

While the prime minister has asked corporate and public sector enterprises to cooperate in this hour of crisis by taking care of the workforce and their dependent, Singh claimed, "it has come to light that even public sector enterprise like Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited, a joint venture of Maharashtra Government and GAIL, are rescinding their work contract and rendering hundreds of poor truckers without work."
Singh further said, "The government is spending Rs 2 lakh crore to fight coronavirus. Let Rs 200 crore be spent to ensure food and water for drivers and helpers on the move."