Fright Charges Increased By CLOA
The Coimbatore Lorry Owners Association has decided to increase the freight charges by 20 per cent with immediate effect as a fall out of the steep increase in prices of petroleum products. A release from association secretary K.S. Kaliaperumal said the hike in fuel prices would not only affect the truck operators but also cripple the transport sector. In the last year alone, the prices of tyres had gone up thrice and the hike had been to the tune of Rs. 4,000 a tyre. The price of oil for the engine had gone up from Rs. 92 to Rs. 102 and the same had gone up by another Rs. 15 again. With the prices of tyre, diesel and oil going up steeply and at frequent intervals, the transport industry would definitely find the going tough.
The association also called for cancellation of road tax and collection of toll for using roads and bridges. The Central Government should consider withdrawal of the petroleum price hike. With petroleum corporations insisting on upward price revision because of the soaring crude oil prices and the losses that the corporations were incurring over the years, the truck operators would be left with no other option but to increase the freight charges by 20 per cent. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held on June 13 in Coimbatore.
Mr. Kaliayaperumal also said the association would join the indefinite lorry strike call given by the All India Motor Transport Congress on July 2. The strike would be to insist on reduction in the prices of diesel, withdrawal of road tax increase and collection of toll for using roads and bridges including Aatuppalam at Ukkadam.
