Transporters seek govt intervention as COVID-19 lockdown aggravate problems, demand extension of e-way bill validity till 15 May

-

New Delhi: Transporters' body AIMTC on Saturday sought the government intervention for relief measures, including extension of e-way bill validity till 15 May, saying their problems are increasingly getting aggravated.

All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) is the umbrella body of transporters representing about 95 lakh truckers and entities.

"The situation remains fluid on the ground. The reports of vehicles stranded for want of unloading at factories, warehouses, godowns keep coming in.

About 85 percent transporters are small operators who are in abject penury and are unable to sustain their financial obligations, the AIMTC said on Saturday. AP

"The issues of loaded vehicles not getting unloaded as limited permission is available to open factories and godowns," AIMTC said in a statement, adding that comeback of drivers still seem difficult.

Seeking intervention of the PMO, it demanded extension of validity of e-way bill till 15 May from the present 30 April, 2020, in view of stranded vehicles at various places.

Citing a case where a poor transporter allegedly committed suicide on Friday unable to stand the pressure of the financier, AIMTC said the problems of the transport fraternity is increasing day by day and despite the moratorium the finance companies keep pressurising small operators to pay back.

"The implementation of the directives of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) at the ground is still not proper. The reports of harassment, stopping of vehicles are still coming in, as the authorities insist on local permission inspite of clear directives and further clarifications issued by the MHA," the statement said.

Meanwhile, AIMTC president Kultaran Singh Atwal said they had a fruitful meeting with Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi who assured them all possible cooperation to the transporters.

About 85 percent transporters are small operators who are in abject penury and are unable to sustain their financial obligations to their stakeholders and families as well, the statement said, adding that the worst is yet to come when all statutory obligations are to be met and paid in advance in light of no income source.

They also demanded curtailment in diesel prices and relaxation in toll.

"There is deep angst and disappointment among the fraternity as there is no response from the Government on our submission of expectations of more than 20 crore transport fraternity of India, which only ask for facilitation and not subsidy," AIMTC said.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/354djqp
Press Trust of India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more