KOLHAPUR: The nation-wide truckers' strike called by All India Motor Transport Congress, that entered its seventh day on Thursday, has taken a toll on business establishments and industrial activities in the district.The foundry sector, one of the backbone of Kolhapur industry, and MIDC are plagued by shortage of raw material.On an average, daily 3,000 tonne of iron casting is processed in all the MIDCs in Kolhapur district . The raw material required for these industries is supplied from the neighbouring districts and states.Most of the raw materials are transported via road. While pig iron is supplied from Karnataka and Goa, scrap material is brought from Bengaluru and Pune and sand comes from Konkan region."The big industrial units are on the verge of closing down as the raw material they had with them has exhausted. If the strike continues for a few more days, they will have to shut these industries. Small industrial units have already shut their business activities," said an official associated with MIDC, Kolhapur."Industrial units in Kolhapur are inter-dependent and if one sector is affected, it impacts other sectors also. The truck operators have already asked the autorickshaws and tractors plying in the MIDC area to stop entering into the area. Since the truck operators have already thrown their weight behind the strike, the employees are facing problems in commuting to the industrail units in MIDC," he said.The trading activities of essential commodities has been also affected. "Traders were aware of the strike as the truck operators had declared the date last month. They had additional stock to cater to the needs of consumers for four to five days. But as the strike entered the seventh day, traders are unable to meet the demand for food grains, cereals and vegetables,including potatoes and onions,which are daily needed in the market,"said an official from Kolhapur Market yard.Subhash Jadhav, district unit head of Kolhapur lorry operators said, "This is a nation-wide strike. We are ensuring that all truckers participate in the strike to make it successful. We have accepted the district administration's request not to obstruct the transport of essential commodities but the truckers involved in this business are also participating in the strike."

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