Truckers to field candidate against Baalu

Published Date: 14/4/2009


G Saravanan

Chennai, April 13: THE All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), a united body of truckers, is likely to announce a candidate against DMK strong man and Union Surface Transport Minister T R Baalu in Sriperambudur for the Lok Sabha election. This, they said, was to register their “collective anguish and ill-treatment meted against truckers in the past five years.” According to sources, R Sukumar, president of Chennai-Kancheepuram Tiruvallur district lorry, tanker, tipper-trailer, van, bus owner’s association welfare committee and spokesperson of the AIMTC, could be named to contest against Baalu.

Speaking to Express, Sukumar confirmed that the talks for fielding a candidate ag ainst Baalu were going on, and an announcement on the candidature could be expected in the next two or three days. During the last five years, AIMTC had called for nationwide strike three times, that too, on the diesel price issue only, but Baalu never tried to meet the agitating truckers and instead sent his office staff to negotiate with us, he said.

According to AIMTC sources, their main poll plank would be the problems arising out of the uncontrolled privatisation of national highways by Baalu and the introduction of several toll-collecting stations just to mint money without providing any facilities for its users, mainly truckers.