62 lakh truckers to join strike
Some 62 lakh truckers will be joining the Opposition-led “Bharat Bandh” against the recent hike in the fuel prices. The strike by truckers is likely to impact the movement of vegetables, milk, and other essential commodities across the country.
However, the Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders, which represents some 38,000 petrol-pump owners all over India has decided not to participate in the strike.
“The unjustified hike in the price of petrol and diesel has not only affected the road transport fraternity but also the common man of the country,” said Mr G.R. Shanmugappa, president of the largest truckers’ union, All India Motor Transport Congress.
AIMTC said that the hike in the fuel prices would adversely affect the disposable incomes of people engaged in the transport industry. It is also against any decontrol of the diesel prices, the main fuel used by the transport industry. “The freight rates of the transporters are not fixed and their contractual agreements are binding in nature. The frequent fluctuations in diesel price will negatively impact the already thin bottom line of the truckers,” said an office bearer of the union. AIMTC said that the worst affected would be single truck owners who don’t have a say on the freight rates and would succumb to the competitive pressure. “We are not participating in the bandh. All petrol pumps of FAIPT members will operate as usual all over India,” said Mr Ajay Bansal, general secretary, FAIPT.
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Cong clears 8 names for T-bypolls
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
July 4: The central leadership of the Congress Party cleared the names of eight candidates for the forthcoming Telangana bypolls.
The names for the remaining four constituencies would be cleared soon, according to the party. The bypolls was necessitated by the resignation of 12 MPs who had resigned in the wake of the violent agitation for a separate Telangana state. Out of the 12 seats where bypolls are to be held on the 27th of this month, 10 were held by the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, one by the Telugu Desam Party and one by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The eight names that were cleared by the Congress high command are Chennuru — G. Vinod, Warangal — Dayasagar, Vemulawada — Srinivas, Nizamabad — D. Srinivas, Sirpur — Indrakaran Reddy, Ellareddy — Shabbirali, Dharmapuri — Laxman Rao and Sirisilla — K.K. Manohar Reddy.
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