The Narendra Modi government isn’t the only one responsible for taking bizarre and capricious decisions while framing regulations to deal with a snowballing second Covid-19 wave.
The Maharashtra regime, which decided on Thursday to extend its lockdown restrictions till 7am on June 1, has come up with its own ham-handed response that now threatens to disrupt the movement of goods and supplies to the state which prides itself on its contribution to 25 per cent of the country’s GDP.
On Thursday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government said that truckers ferrying goods from anywhere
outside the state would have to restrict the number of people in the vehicle to just two and they would have to carry Covid negative test reports issued no more than 48 hours before the vehicle rolled across the border.
Maharashtra’s new lockdown norms pose supply chain challenge
May 14, 2021
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Getting fresh RTPCR negative result for truck drivers traversing through state can derail supply chain: AIMTC
Maharashtra’s new lockdown norms-requiring trucks driving into the state from other states to have proof of negative RTPCR test that were issued not more than 48 hours ago-can cripple the supply chain going into the state and going via the state, truck union All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) has stated. The new norm has prompted the union to reach out to the State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking him to put in place an alternate and “more practical” solution – like a Rapid Antigen Test, which is quicker than RTPCR. AIMTC has also asked the state to bear the cost of such tests.
New guidelines of Maharashtra govt for truck drivers will cripple supply of essential commodities, says AIMTC
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New guidelines of Maharashtra govt for truck drivers will cripple supply of essential commodities, says AIMTCBy
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Synopsis
The new guidelines issued on May 12 say: “In the case of cargo carriers, not more than two people (Driver + Cleaner/ helper) may be allowed to travel in the same. If these cargo carriers are originating from outside the state, these may be allowed to enter into the state with a negative RTPCR test which will have to be issued from upto a maximum of 48 hours before the time of entry into Maharashtra and which will be valid for 7 days.”
Truck rentals in open market plummet 18-27% in April: IFTRT
May 03, 2021
Transport Union AIMTC seeks relief for truckers Truck rentals plummeted by 18-27 per cent on trunk routes during April 2021 against the rates on a sequential basis in the open market, as per Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT), a transport tracking research unit.
This was because of slump in factory output by 35-40 per cent due to production cuts and closures in many states triggered by the present wave of Covid calamity resulting in local level curfews and lockdowns, SP Singh, Senior Fellow and Coordinator, Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT), New Delhi, said in a note. Also, there was 10-15 per cent drop in arrivals of fruits and vegetables in mandis (or Agricultural Price Marketing Committees). IFTRT projects the truck freight rentals and sales to remain timid for current and most likely for next quarter of current fiscal.