Truckers in West Bengal today claimed that nearly 90% inter-state vehicles registered in the state have either gone off roads or are stranded at different check points owing to currency note crunch following demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes.
“Lack of currency notes of lower denominations have severely affected road transportation as entry tax payments cannot be made at check points of different states apart from several other reasons,” Federation of West Bengal Truck Operators’ Association general secretary Subhas Bose told PTI here.
“Drivers and assistants are starving as they have run out of notes of lower denomination and are stranded at different places in the country,” Bose said.
“At Dalkhola checkpost on Bengal-Bihar border at least 700 to 800 vehicles are stranded owing to the problem,” he said, adding the situation was the same at check posts on Bengal-Assam border, Bengal-Jharkhand border, Bengal-Odisha border as also at the international border checkpoints with Bangladesh at different places like Petrapole, Ghojadanga, Hili among others.
“There are 3.7 lakh goods vehicles registered in West Bengal, of which 30 per cent are with inter-state permit,” he said.
Bose said in case of mechanical fault, vehicles cannot also be repaired because of the currency note crunch.
