HUBLI: The Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners And Agents Association has threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the 18-hour ban on entry of lorries carrying manganese ore into Koppal city is not revoked before March 19.

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Vijay Miskin, executive committee member of the All India Transport Congress, said the association has taken this decision as the many memoranda submitted to the Koppal district administration have not evoked any response. He said Koppal is the only district in the country where there is a ban on the entry of lorries carrying manganese ore for 18 hours.

Truck owners and agents are not only suffering loss because of not operating their trucks for 18 hours but also it leads to commotion in Koppal city as several lorries operate at the same time after 11 p.m., he said.

He said as the trucks have to be moved out of the city before 5 a.m. it has forced drivers to rush through their work resulting in accidents.

The district administration even has not taken steps to construct a bypass road, which it had promised during the talks with the association, he said.

The police elsewhere are harassing truck drivers for no reason, he alleged.

Harassment

Even though the lorries carry load within permissible limits, the drivers and cleaners are harassed, he alleged.

Mahalingesh Jigalur, vice-president of the association's State unit, and P. Ramappa, president of the Hubli-Dharwad unit, said although the problem has been sorted with the Regional Transport Officer, the police are targeting the truck drivers.

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