Date:03/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/04/03/stories/2007040301432100.htm

Back Kerala lorry strike enters 2nd day

Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram, April 2

The indefinite strike by lorry operators in the State entered the second day on Monday even as the State Government resorted to confiscation of vehicles for being forcibly deployed into service. There was still no panic at the marketplace thanks largely to the stocks of essentials holding good. But depleting petroleum fuel and LPG could pose a problem within a day or two unless the stir is called off.

District Collectors and other civic officials have been given a free hand to deal with the emerging situation. Trucks would be seized en masse and permits cancelled, if owners continued to defy orders. The strike is mainly in protest against the move to enforce a Supreme Court directive that requires trucks to incorporate a speed governor. The fleet owners are also demanding a rollback of 10 per cent hike in vehicle taxes proposed in the State Budget.