The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) on Wednesday reported that truck drivers in India have now started testing positive for Coronavirus, adding that this could lead to a further disruption in the supply chain ecosystem of the country.
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Commenting on the lack of safety and medical help available for the trucking community in the country, the association rues that truck drivers are unwilling to report back to their duties. AIMTC also said that lack of medical insurance for truck drivers to battle COVID-19 has worsened the situation.
In a statement, AIMTC said, “We have reports from Gwalior, Nawashrar and Vijaywada about drivers contracting COVID-19. The drivers becoming corona(virus) carriers is a dangerous proposition and it will be difficult to track backwards because of the wide geography traversed by them.”.
As per the association, they have been in talks with the government to provide certain relief measures to the trucking community, including soft loans, relaxation on compliances such as taxes, EMIs etc., in order to ensure that truck operators remain functional and in business.
AIMTC is hopeful that the government will soon release directives to provide COVID-19 insurance to truck drivers which will make it easier for them to report back to work.
“The anxiety and uncertainty over the future scenario (is) galore everywhere, more so among the road transport fraternity, which is fast receding to bankruptcy,” the AIMTC said.