Coronavirus: The drivers had no option but to leave the trucks attended.
Nearly three lakh trucks with payload worth Rs 35,000 crore have been stranded because of the coronavirus lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, the trade bodies have said. Many of these trucks are parked unattended as their drivers and cleaners have left for their hometowns. Some that reached their destinations are stuck as the workers who unload the trucks are missing. The wheels that drive the economy forward have come to a grinding halt.
"Our vehicles that were on the road when the lockdown was announced have not reached their destinations because it takes three-four days to reach. Currently lakhs of trucks are on the road across the nation with goods worth crores. Our trucks are parked outside warehouses, factories and transport offices," Kultaran Singh Atwal, President, All India Motor Transport Congress, told NDTV.
The central government had first announced that transportation of only essential items would be allowed. Later it altered its order allowing non-essentials as well, but it was too late for the truck industry as a large number of drivers had already left for their native places.
Hundreds of trucks ferrying goods like cars, two-wheelers, fridges, air conditioners, washing machines and industrial raw material are parked on the roadside in Haryana's Faridabad, which is part of the national capital region. The drivers had no option but to leave the trucks attended.
Ramsagar Singh, a truck driver, had started from Jamshedpur with pipes worth Rs 11 lakh on March 19. He has been stranded at Faridabad for the last 15 days.
"The owner of the factory where the goods had to be dumped has refused to unload the truck. He says he will accept the goods after the lockdown ends," he said.
Suresh Kumar Sharma owns a massive trucking company. He owns 500 trucks - 400 of them are out on the road with goods worth Rs 100 crore. He says he has lost touch with most of his drivers.
"When the lockdown was announced, the transportation of non-essential items was banned so the drivers and labourers left for their native towns and villages. Later the order said the vehicles can be sent (to transport goods) ...Factories have closed down as the workers have left. Since, the labour force has left, it is impossible to unload trucks," he said.
Coronavirus has killed over 169 people in the country, and the number of those infected is steadily rising despite the lockdown. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suggested that the lockdown could be extended. In a video meeting with leaders of all parties, PM Modi reportedly said he would consult with Chief Ministers, but by all accounts, the lifting of the lockdown "is not possible".