Nagpur: The indefinite strike called by All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) entered the second day and affected cargo movement across the city.Supporting AITMC’s bandh call, Nagpur Truckers Unity (NTU) is up in arms against soaring diesel prices, toll charges and steep rise in third party insurance premiums.Truckers across the country began their indefinite strike on Friday, but it failed to affect supplies to Nagpur. Even the transport of essential commodities such as vegetables, fruits, fuel and milk remained unaffected on Saturday. NTU office-bearers staged chakka jam agitation at all toll plazas.TOI visited highways and found trucks stationed in parking lots around the city. About 3,000 trucks that had come from other states and cities stopped operations, said Kuku Marwah, president of NTU.NTU office-bearers led by Marwah staged a rasta roko agitation at Mouda toll plaza and requested truck drivers to extend support to AIMTC’s stir.“Due to the indefinite strike, we had stopped booking goods and machineries from Friday. Commodities worth around Rs100 crore are stranded in different cities and towns of Vidarbha,” he said, adding, “We also prevented loading and unloading of consignments.”The strike also rendered around 1,000 workers engaged in loading and unloading goods in the city jobless. “If the government fails to meet our demands, transporters will be forced to commit suicide,” said Marwah.Surendra Lohe, president of Mahatma Phule Phal-Bhaji Vikreta Sangh, said that as of now, there is no impact of the strike in vegetable markets in Nagpur. “It is unlikely to affect the city as most of the farmers have their own transport facilities,” he said.Traders in the wholesale APMC market at Kalamna too said that supplies are unaffected. Team TOI found good stock of vegetables at Mahatma Phule market situated in the heart of the city.Till now, many agitating transporters too have not stopped the vehicles transporting perishable material like vegetables, as farmers will suffer financial loss.Small vehicles that bring vegetables from within the state were operating. “But if the strike continues, vegetables from other states will not reach and prices of fruits and vegetables will increase,” said Tekchand Chormare, one of the wholesale vegetable vendors from Phule market.

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