KARACHI: A strike by intercity goods carriers entered its second day on Tuesday, with five representative bodies of transporters operating in other parts of the country expressing solidarity with them.

The transporters went on strike on Monday in protest against the restriction imposed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on the movement of heavy vehicles in Karachi.

Transporters said they could not run their vehicles in Karachi due to the imposition of Section 144 and harassment by the police.

Moreover, confusion continues over the timing allowed for the movement of heavy vehicles within the city’s jurisdiction. Some transports believed that the Supreme Court has fixed the timing between 11pm to 6am while others said the SHC has imposed a 24-hour ban.

Yasin Niazi, the chairman of United Goods Transporters Alliance (UGTA), told Dawn that five other transporters’ bodies have joined hands with Transporters of Goods Association-KPT, which represents intercity goods carriers.

He said transporters operating in upcountry areas also had to face similar situation as they could not enter or leave the Karachi port by moving within the city’s jurisdiction.

Mr Niazi said the transporters’ alliance has even approached Home Secretary and apprised him about the issues being faced by goods carriers. He claimed that the secretary even issued a notification for allowing the movement of heavy vehicles between 11pm to 6am, but Deputy Inspector General Traffic said he only accepted the SHC order.

Transporters of Goods Association President Anwar Soomro said they haven’t received any response from the Sindh government so far. He said cargo movement from Karachi port to industrial areas of the city, particularly Port Qasim, Landhi and Korangi industrial areas, remained suspended.

He said goods carriers had to take longer route which has increased their cost to Rs35,000 from Rs8,000. Earlier, the transporters used to take the intercity route via Mai Kolachi to Sunset Boulevard and then to Korangi industrial area.

He said Car Carriers Association, Balochistan Transport Association and Karachi Goods Carriers Association have voluntarily joined the strike.

Meanwhile, port users said they have discussed the issue with KPT vice-chairman Arif Elahi as it could severely damage country’s economy and also hinder exports.

They said if the situation persisted for another couple of days, it would cause port congestion and create shortage of raw material to the industry; consumers may also suffer because many commodities would not reach warehouses located in industrial areas.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2017