Truckers’ strike drives a pricey veg

The ripple effect of the Transporters’ Federation strike in Bihar is now being felt down here in Lucknow. With hundreds and hundreds of Lucknow-bound trucks stuck up on the Bihar border, wheat, sugar, vegetables, fruits have all become dearer in the city. For the common man who is yet to recover from the price hike casued by the drought conditions, nothing could have been worse.
From a reasonable Rs 7 per kg until recently, onions have now spiralled to Rs 12 per kg reviving memories of the onion sob story which led to the fall of the Dili sarkar a few days back. At Rs 30 per kg, bitter gourd leaves a bitter taste in the mouth as does lady finger and tomato which are both pegged between Rs 20 and Rs 25 per kg. The price of other essential commodities like milk and wheat too have shot up alarmingly. “The sudden increase in prices have come as a rude shock to us,� says housewife Sheila Sharma. Similar views are aired by several other Lucknowites. But more than anybody else, it’s the transporters who are feeling the real pinch. Ask Virendra Tandon, President, Lucknow Goods Transport Association. “We have suffered massive losses because of the strike. Trucks carrying perishable goods pass through Bihar to reach Calcutta, Orissa, Shimla, Kashmir New Delhi and even Bangladesh. But now they are all strandled,� says Tandon. “
Besides vegetables, the strike has also upset the apple cart of fruits, especially apples. “This is the peak season for apples in Jammu and Kashmir. But because of the truckers’ strike, we are unable to reach the apples to various parts of the country,� says a transporter.