More than two lakh trucks across Karnataka went off the roads in response to the Bharat Bandh call given by traders and the transport sector against the recent fuel price increase. While truckers had threatened to block highways in the State, the police did not allow any road blocks, which left traffic unaffected.
G.R. Shanmugappa, General Secretary, South Zone Motor Transporters Welfare Association, who led the one-day strike said it was peaceful without any law and order issues. “This was a one-day token strike. But we have decided to go on an indefinite strike from March 15, if our demands including tax cuts for fuel are not met by then,” he said.
Business mostly remained unaffected. “Trucks that were on the road Thursday night reached the destinations on Friday morning. They resumed plying on Friday after 6 p.m. So business remained unaffected,” said a prominent trader.
Meanwhile, traders had also announced support to the bandh. They memorandums demanding simplification of the GST Code and tax cuts for fuel in all districts. However, they worked as usual, citing losses due to pandemic.
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