• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Our Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, April 17

WITH the truckers' strike entering the fourth day and an amicable settlement not within sight, traders here have expressed the fear that essential supplies stocked in anticipation of the strike might well drain out of the shelves with peak Easter-eve sales expected on Saturday.

The wholesalers had ventured to stock up a week's requirement of grains and other provisions hoping that the strike would not last longer. But, according to Mr Manikantan, office-bearer of the Grain Merchants Association here, available trends would go to prove their worst fears with the first round of talks between the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) and the Union Surface Transport Ministry reaching nowhere.

The Grain Merchants Association official said the normally bustling Chalai market received some loads of vegetables ferried in tempo vans from growing centres outside of the inter-State border risking the wrath of striking lorry owners all the way. In the circumstances, it was only to be expected of them to frontload the prices with a `risk premium' which consumers are now being forced to part with.

The State Civil Supplies Minister, Mr G. Karthikeyan, had said that the Government would try to bring in the consignments on scheduled inter-State services being operated to and from vegetable growing areas of Marthandam, Thackulay and Nagercoil in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. But the stocks thus brought in, if at all, would be too meagre to meet the peak-time demand here, trade sources said.

Attempts are also being made to ship in similar consignments on passenger trains arriving into the city. But, here also, loading at the originating station and unloading at the terminating station are causing problems with the trade union workers, aware as they are of the delicate situation, charging `unacceptably high rate' at both the ends. "The traders are left with no option but to pass on the impounding costs to the consumer," Mr Manikantan said.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
CCD decision on preference to SCI irks shipping sector

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line