Sand Lorry Owners Association Seeks Govt Help
The Coimbatore District Sand Lorry Owners Association, citing the hardships faced by the transport industry owing to increase in prices of tyre, chassis cost, insurance premium and spare parts, has sought the intervention of the Government to help the industry survive. The association in its recent meeting condemned the tyre manufacturers for the arbitrary and steep hike in tyre prices. The association pointed out that a set of tyres, which cost around Rs. 17,000 last year, was now priced at close to Rs. 27,000. Tyre manufacturers should be asked to consult the Government and the transport industry associations before resorting to such increase in prices. The price of chassis for a lorry was Rs. 8 lakh last year and it was only Rs. 6 lakh in the previous year. But, the price had been increased to Rs. 10.5 lakh this year.
A hike of Rs. 4.5 lakh in two years was unbearable for the industry. Such arbitrary increase in the price had never been questioned by the Government. The worst was the increase in third party insurance premium for trucks from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 6,500, which the Government should withdraw. The increase in the diesel price was put at Rs. 4 per litre by the Government. Whereas the petroleum corporations were forcing the truck operators to go in for premium diesel that cost Rs. 6.50 to Rs. 7 more than the price that the truckers were paying earlier per litre.
If the prices of all spares, tyre, fuel and insurance premium kept spiralling upwards in such a pace, increase in the prices of sand would become inevitable affecting the construction industry, the association said. Such factors would only adversely affect the nearly 8,000 to 10,000 crew directly dependent on the sand trucks. And, close to three lakh construction workers employed in civil works and brick kilns would be forced to struggle for employment.
