Around 60,000 truck drivers working for the automobile industry in Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal industrial sector stopped services today over Haryana government's refusal to provide fitness certificates to over-sized trucks.
More than 60,000 truckers today refused to pick up the new four-wheelers and two-wheelers from dealer-ship outlets of major automobile companies for delivery across the country, Daman Dewan, General Secretary of Automobile Carrier Welfare Association (ACWA) was quoted in a press release.
The truck drivers, mostly service providers to the automobile industry in the Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal industrial sector are not picking up vehicles in protest against the Haryana Transport Department's refusal to issue fitness certificates to their over-sized trucks, the release said.
"However the trucks which were earlier loaded with four wheelers and two-wheelers would deliver the vehicles at their respective destinations across the country. But no further pick-up would be executed till resolution of the issue," Dewan said.
The state government led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had issued the fitness certificates to over sized vehicles for a year in 2012.
The practice continued and the state government, before Lok Sabha election had allowed over sized trucks and trailers to carry automobiles for an indefinite period, said ACWA General Secretary.
However Ashok Khemka after taking over the charge of the state transport department in December last year withdrew the order.
"Almost all trucks associated with the automobile sector are over-sized, but have been granted fitness certificates. The new order has forced several trucks to go off the roads. And those plying on the roads are being challaned," said ACWA press release.
As per the new rule, the truck drivers need to procure fitness certificates from the Regional Transport Authority on an annual basis, but the Haryana Transport Department has been refusing it for the past one month stating that the trucks were over-sized, added the release.
Dewan added that the new guideline on the size of the trucks is economically unviable as it reduced the carrying capacity of the vehicle to less than half.
