Goods transporters end strike after talks with govt

KARACHI: The goods transporters have announced an end to its strike after assurance by the government regarding the acceptance of their demands, ARY News reported.

The goods transporters have demanded federal government for the amendment in the axle load law as per the National Highway Safety Ordinance 2000 which has been accepted.

According to the new laws, the transporters can increase the load management up to 15 percent.

The Ministry of Communication has assured to release the amendment notification soon.

The goods transporters were protesting against the enforcement of the new Axle Load Control regime in the country by the communication ministry to control travelling of overloaded vehicles which lead to fatal accidents besides damaging the road network.

Various trade bodies including the Karachi Chamber of Commerce had earlier urged the communication ministry to put the Axle Load Regime on hold as it was not agreed upon by all the stakeholders including the goods transporters and representatives of the business and industrial community.

Moreover, Pakistan Ships’ Agents Association (PSSA) had also criticized the implementation of the new axle load regime saying it would do more damage than good and result in 80 percent increase in the transportation costs.

The decision had already started to cause congestion not only at the ports but the roads of Karachi also suffering as heavy traffic could be seen during the day time on the roads since the same volume of cargo now need about 180 trucks instead of 100 trucks.