Karnataka Lorry owners suspended rice transport over unpaid dues by state government

Karnataka truckers association have protested against the unpaid dues of government by suspending the rice transport under the Anna Bhagya scheme on July 7.  The state has not been able to pay dues of nearly Rs 260 crore despite frequent pleas since February, as alleged by the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents’ Association and the Karnataka State Public Distribution Food Grains Transport Contractors’ Association..

Furthermore, he told that that the trucker drivers deposited their money to government for participating in the tender and this time they are not transporting rice as the government allot them specific dates to clear the dues even after their repeated requests.

The lorry owners asked to refund their earnest money deposit due to the severe financial crunch as several lorry owners are grappling to pay Employee Provident Fund and Employees’ State Insurance and taxes. Not only this, but they also given them warning to at least 15 days to clear the dues. The association said that despite repeated requests the government’s inactive approach led to halt the transport operations.
Condemning congress led govt., BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai stated: “this government has gone bankrupt and people are fighting for the chair.” However, Senior Congress legislator RV Deshpande expressed regret over the delay but censured the sudden halt of transport operations and asserted that they have been with govt. for so long but halting transport services is not appropriate as these food grains have been consumed by infants also.
 With the lorry owners' strike threatening to disrupt the supply chain for the Anna Bhagya scheme, the government now faces mounting pressure to address the issue.
The action has been taken just a day after the Chief Minister's economic advisor, Raya Reddy, sparked a debate by asserting that people must choose between guarantee schemes and development projects due to budget constraints.

 Now, the state government is facing massive pressure to resolve this issue after sudden halt on transport operations under Anna Bhagya scheme.