Rs 500 crore worth business affected

COIMBATORE: With the Transporters strike entering the fourth day today, lorry owners and government have suffered a loss of Rs.15 crore and the business loss was estimated at around Rs.500 crore in the district, according to Coimbatore District Lorry Owners Association.

The strike, which began on October one, demanding scrapping of the present toll system in the country, has seriously affected the movement of essential commodities, including vegetables, egg, teas and also construction materials to some extent, association sources said.

In nearby Tirupur district, more than Rs 10 crore worth ready made garments, knitwear and also powerloom fabrics were stock piled, for want of transportation, particularly meant for export thorough ports in Kochi and Tuticorin, they said.

Rs 2 crore were waiting for trucks, they claimed. With more than 100 tea factories functioning in nearby Nilgiris district and about 200 lorries plying daily to other States, teas worth Rs two crore were waiting for trucks, they claimed.

Meanwhile, truckers carrying LPG and other petroleum products are expected to extend support to the strike, which would affect the movement of these products, thus resulting in short supply, the sources said.