The Hindu : Front Page : 14 lorries seized in Ernakulam

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Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
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14 lorries seized in Ernakulam

Staff Reporter

Traders warn of price rise, shortage of vegetables if the strike continues

KOCHI: The Motor Vehicles Department seized 14 lorries in Ernakulam District, as part of the steps being taken to prevent the shortage of essential commodities following the ongoing strike by goods carriers in the State.

The seized lorries include six lorries carrying LPG cylinders. Deputy Transport Commissioner (Central) M.N. Prabhakaran said that the vehicles had been taken to the Civil Station. “The drivers of many of these vehicles have come forward to operate them. We found around 30 lorries loaded with LPG cylinders, at a filling station in Udayamperoor. Their drivers promised to operate them from Wednesday.”

He added that there was no shortage of diesel in any part of the district. Two tanker lorries were brought from Tamil Nadu for supplying aviation-turbine fuel to the Cochin International Airport. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has put in operation five of its tanker lorries to supply fuel to its depots.

Price rise

Though vegetable prices in Ernakulam district had gone up slightly, no shortage had been reported so far in the wake of the ongoing lorry strike. However, traders have cautioned that the supply of essential items would be affected if the strike continued for over a week.

Prices of potato, onion, beans, and drumstick shot up on Tuesday but traders attributed it to the fall in production in neighbouring States. The absence of vehicles for inter-district supply of vegetables had also resulted in price rise, traders said.

The price of a kilogramme of beans soared to Rs.25 in the wholesale market. A kilogramme of potato cost Rs.15, while onion and small onion were sold at Rs.21 and Rs.16 a kilogramme respectively.

Explaining the availability of vegetable loads in the Ernakulam main market, N. H. Shameed of Ernakulam Market Stall Owners’ Association said that there was no major cut in the supply of vegetables. But the movement of mini trucks and lorries carrying vegetables to places such as Chellanam, Munambam and Vypeen had been affected. The number of vegetable loads reaching Ernakulam main market fell on Tuesday. On a normal day, 20 loads of vegetable from places such as Mettupalayam reached the market.

The number went down to 15 following the lorry strike, the vegetable and fruits stall owners’ association said.

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