As many as 4.5 lakh trucks are off the roads in Tamil Nadu since this morning as part of a nationwide indefinite strike called by truckers to press their charter of demands.
C Dhanaraj, secretary, State Lorry Owners' Federation, said trucks, including inter-state vehicles, were off the roads in Tamil Nadu as part of the strike.
"Due to the strike, the state government will lose about Rs 100 crore a day in revenue while the truck operators would face a loss of about Rs three to four crore," Dhanaraj told PTI.
Trucks ferrying essential commodities, however, have been exempted from the strike, he said.
Tanker-lorries might join the strike in the coming days depending on the situation and possible disruption in fuel distribution could be gauged only then, he said.
As talks with the government remained inconclusive till late last night, the truckers under umbrella body AIMTC today went on a nationwide indefinite strike to press their charter of demands, including reduction of diesel prices and toll fees.
Incidentally, many lorry booking agencies had stopped taking orders a few days back in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Federation did not participate in the strike.
Its state general secretary Murugan Venkatachalam told PTI that the decision was taken as past strikes "have not yielded much results."
"Further, demands like reduction in toll fees is not practical as the system is in vogue for the past 20 years," he said, adding, the strike would not benefit the sector.
Members of the federation met state chief minister K Palaniswami today and presented a memorandum of demands, including holding regular meetings to sort out issues concerning the trade, he said.
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