Construction works badly affected in Karnataka

Bangalore, Aug 8 (UNI) Construction works in Karnataka were badly affected as the indefinite strike by the owners of lorries transporting sand entered second day in protest against the State government policy on transportation of construction material and alleged harassment by the police.

In Mysore more than 800 lorries transporting sand were off the road, while another 800 lorries, which transport construction materials, also joined the strike for a day expressing their solidarity with the owners of sand transporting lorries.

Lorry Owners Association President B Kodandaram alleged that the police were collecting heavy fines from the lorry owners on charges of smuggling of sand from T Narasipura and Nanjangud.

The lorry owners only supply sand from the sand mining to the contractors in Mysore. If a contractor was involved in illegal sand mining, the police should take action against him but not against the lorry owners, he added.

The lorry owners had appealed to the Deputy Commissioner S Selva Kumar to provide a list of licensed contractors so that the lorry owner could deal only with them, but we are yet to receive the list and how could you expect us to identify an unlicensed contractor he asked.

In Bangalore, Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association President G R Shanmugappa said that the Federation was waiting for invitation by the government for talks to find a permanent solution.

UNI