Truckers' strike begins to pinch people

PATNA: The all-India strike of the Motor Transport Congress Association entered its fifth day on Wednesday. Though, the Bihar Motor Transport Federation and Patna District Truck Owners'' Association have not joined the strike keeping in view the damages caused by flood and drought this year, the markets have begun to experience the jolt.
The worst-affected seems to be the Bazaar Samiti wholesale market of fruits and fish.The yard incharge, Dinkar Jha, said that barely a few trucks turn up in the market these days compared to the 25-30 trucks on normal days. "No trucks of papaya, sweet lime (mosambi) potato, onion and fish have reached from outside the state in the last five days of the strike," he said.
Because of the non-arrival of trucks, the prices are on the rise. Besides, the labourers involved in loading and unloading of goods in the market are badly affected as there are no trucks. The usually crowded markets bore a deserted look on Wednesday.
Patna Fruit Merchant Association president Mohammed Zamaluddin Ashrafi said over 20,000 retail sellers who are dependent on the Bazaar Samiti market have been badly hit as they are unable to get the required quantity to sell in the local markets.
A good number of apples had to be thrown as they rotted because of the delay in reaching the market in time due to the strike, he said adding that there will be no fruits in the market if the strike continues. The market gets its fruit supply from MP, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, he said.
The other badly affected group are the C&F agents dealing in medicines."Most of the factories of medicines are outside the state so we are unable to meet the demand of medicines especially antibiotics that keep pouring in throughout the day from Jharkhand and various parts of Bihar. Sending it through courier involves at least four to five times the cost that we have to spend in sending the medicines on truck," said the C&F agent of Concept pharmaceuticals, R K Bibhakar.
Meanwhile the foodgrain market also seems to be affected though slightly. According to president of Daldali Road Vyavsayee Sangh, Ashok Chandra, there has been a slight increase in the prices of sugar, rice and pulses which are usually transported from outside the state.
"We are managing on the old stocks. Usually, 2-4 trucks reached this market every day but none have arrived since the day the strike began. General secretary of Bihar Khadyanna Vyavsayee Sangh, Balram Prasad said that if the strike continues, the markets will be badly affected.
Bihar Motor Transport Federation president Jagannath Singh said that even though there association is not on strike, the dispatch of goods have been affected as the transport agencies which are the collecting and forwarding agents of goods are on strike. "Sixty per cent of the goods are booked through these agencies and most of the single transporters work in association with them as they don''t have their own infrastructure," he said.