TRUCKERS' STRIKE * India - To hit the economy

Movement of goods over road is set to get paralysed as more than 4 million trucks will keep off the road



New Delhi,India -The Business Standard (Mumbai,Maharashtra,India) -July 02, 2008: -- ... As part of the nationwide indefinite strike called by the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC)... Over 75 per cent of the total cargo in the country is transported by road. This includes commodities like cement, fertilisers, food grain and steel, general cargo like FMCG products, leather goods and high-value cargo like refrigerators, electronics and other white goods... Experts said any interruption in the supply of these commodities may result in a loss of over Rs 1,500 crore to the economy every day... Though truck owners in some states like West Bengal, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have declared to stay out of the general strike, it will not help in easing the pressure, said experts. The striking goods transport agencies (GTAs) control over 90 per cent of the total cargo carried over road... The AIMTC has called a nationwide strike protesting over the government's move to levy full service tax at the rate of 12.36 per cent on services like cargo handling, storage and warehousing being provided by the transport agencies... (Video from YouTube, by NTDTV -July 02, 2008: "Truckers Strike Across India" - ANCHOR: Truckers in India are fed up with higher taxes and rising fuel bills, as oil firms force them to buy costlier branded fuel. To protest their discontent, trucker's unions call for a nationwi...)


* Chennai fuel crisis eases - Shortage of petrol and diesel in the city's outlets seemed to ease a bit towards the evening after started the day on a grim note

Chennai,India -The Business Standard (Mumbai,Maharashtra) -July 2, 2008: -- Sources in the oil retail business said while the situation in south Chennai eased a bit, the condition in the northern part continued to pose challenges for the oil marketing companies like the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL)...


* Truck strike starts to spur some price rises

Mumbai,India -Reuters, by Jonathan Allen -Jul 3, 2008: -- Truckstops across India were at a standstill on Thursday as many lorry drivers nationwide staged a strike over rising fuel bills, raising fears that it could force up food price and dampen commerce... The strike has been low-key so far -- striking truckers seem to be spending more time resting than shouting in the street -- and the impact is only just beginning to be felt... India's economy depends on the millions of elaborately decorated trucks that ply the nation's roads, and so a prolonged strike would likely add to the woes of an already beleaguered government... Union leaders say nearly 5 million trucks are staying off the road, but it is not possible to independently verify that figure. Several large transporter organisations in West Bengal, Kerala and other states said they were not taking part... (Photo by Babu/Reuters - Trucks are parked in a yard during a nationwide truck strike in Chennai, July 2, 2008. Truckstops across India were at a standstill on Thursday as many lorry drivers nationwide staged a strike over rising fuel bills, raising fears that it could force up food price and dampen commerce)