Lorry strike not good for farmers, says K’taka Transport Min. Ramalinga Reddy
Bengaluru: Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has said that any kind of strike is not good for the interest of the public and farmers.
After a meeting with representatives of the State Lorry Owners Association, Reddy addressed the media, pointing out that the strike was being held only now despite a decade of rising fuel prices under the central government.
The minister noted that the price of diesel has nearly doubled from ₹49.54 in 2015 to ₹91.05 currently without sparking similar protests during that time. He attributed the current economic strain on state governments to the central government's fiscal policies, arguing that state-level taxation was a forced measure to keep the system afloat. “When the real issue lies at the Centre, why strike now?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, G.R. Shanmukhappa, president of the State Lorry Owners Association, said the group has written multiple times to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah but has yet to receive a response. He reiterated that the association is ready for discussions if the government reaches out.
Their demands include a review of diesel prices, an end to extortion by RTO officials at border checkpoints, and the easing of restrictions on lorries entering Bengaluru, particularly those transporting daily essentials.
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Five railway staffers injured as van headed to Rajdhani Express fire site overturns in MP
Ratlam (MP) (PTI): Five railway staffers were injured, one of them critically, when their van carrying repair equipment to the site of a Rajdhani Express fire overturned in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district on Sunday, officials said.
The blaze erupted in an AC coach of the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express between Vikramgarh Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division of the railways in Ratlam at 5.15 am.
It disrupted the movement of several trains on the Mumbai-Delhi route, as per the officials.
A van carrying necessary equipment to Alot overturned on the way when a cow suddenly strayed into the middle of the road, they said.
ALSO READ: Fire breaks out in coach of Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in MP's Ratlam; no casualties
Five railwaymen were injured, one of them critically, the officials said.
The incident took place when the van carrying essential equipment for overhead electric line repair, among other things, was on its way to Alot from Shyamnagar in Ratlam, West Central Railway's chief public relations officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI.
The injured persons were rushed to the hospital and were subsequently referred to Kota in Rajasthan, officials said.
No casualties were reported in the train fire.
