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CHENNAI: Sand truck owners in Tamil Nadu on Friday announced a three-day token strike from Nov 1 to 3 to protest the alleged corruption in transport and mining departments, selective enforcement of overloading rules and continued mineral smuggling to neighbouring states.
In a statement, the Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners’ Federation said its members would stop overloading their vehicles and refuse to pay monthly bribes to officials. The federation said the strike was intended to draw the attention of the chief minister and the transport minister to their demands. The federation said this would help prevent mineral theft, illegal transportation and tax evasion while reducing the need for police personnel to intercept lorries on roads.
One of its key demands is the introduction of an integrated e-way bill system connecting the revenue, GST, finance, transport, police and geology and mining departments.