Agriculture

Essential item trucks stuck due to farmers' protests; transporters' body threatens to stop operations

Updated : December 02, 2020 04:08 PM IST

Around 8,000-10,000 trucks pass daily through these routes and a majority of these are getting stuck at the borders.

The shortages are driving up prices of fruits and vegetables in Delhi.

As thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh protest at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border, demanding revocation of the farm bills, movement of trucks carrying essential supplies have been impacted on the routes.

Transporters say clogged roads and borders are impacting the movement of thousands of trucks carrying food, vegetables and other perishable and non-perishable items from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir.

Around 8,000-10,000 trucks pass daily through these routes and a majority of these are getting stuck at the borders and supply is impacted. After the time the logjam clears up, it will take nearly a week for all the trucks to be able to move, AIMTC told CNBC-TV18.

The Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana and the Delhi-Gurgaon border facilitate the movement of trucks carrying fruits, vegetables and milk products from Punjab, Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir, while the Delhi-Ghazipur border, which is also closed, is the entry way for trucks originating from Uttar Pradesh.

This is leading to shortages of essential items and seasonal fruits and vegetables in Delhi and other Northern states. Only a handful of trucks skirting the highways and following internal routes are able to make it to Delhi at the moment.

The shortages are also driving up prices of fruits and vegetables in Delhi.

Adding to the growing support for protesting farmers in North India, India's apex body of transporters' has today said that if the government does not meet the farmers demands, the association will consider shutting down its operations starting with Delhi and other North Indian states, as a mark of protest.

Protesting farmers are deliberating on their next move after they declined the Centre's proposal to constitute a committee for the discussion of the farm bills. The protest is now in its seventh day, with thousands of farmers seeking to remove "middlemen" from the farm procurement process and a minimum support price guarantee.

In case the impasse prolongs, AIMTC says it may stop truckers' operations in solidarity with the farmers' community and it could affect supplies of essential goods even further.

"We are going to convene our core committee meeting and will decide on stopping our operations strategically starting from Delhi, then North India and if the govt does not address the issue of the farmers, we may decide to go for shutting down of transport operations nationwide in their support," Kultaran Singh Atwal, President, AIMTC said.

However, despite an impact on its business, AIMTC says it will stand by the farmers, who are its largest customers. 65 percent of all trucks are engaged in carrying farm produce according to AIMTC.

The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) says it is representing the interest of more than 95 lakh truckers across the country.

Essential item trucks stuck due to farmers' protests; transporters' body threatens to stop operations

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