Palakkad: A lorry cleaner manning an interstate truck from Tamil Nadu was killed in a stone-throwing incident at Kanjikode here.
Vijay Murukesan, 29, of Coimbatore, was killed when his truck came under the attack of the alleged supporters of the ongoing lorry strike.
The man was hit on his chest and was rushed to a private hospital and further to a district health facility but could not be saved.
The driver of the truck also sustained injuries. He later said that the attackers came in lorries and bikes.
The lorry was on its way to Kochi from Coimbatore. The Walayar Kasaba police took the lorry into custody.
Consumer states face heat
The nationwide indefinite strike by the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) started impacting Kerala's consumer economy.
Essential commodities have been kept out of the strike but states like Kerala will soon be faced with a possible price shoot up due to scarcity of products in the market.
The Kerala State Lorry Owners Welfare Federation representatives said the nationwide 'Chakkajam' had affected goods movement through five border checkposts in Kerala. As many as 600 interstate goods lorries were off the road, creating a steep dip in the supply of fruits, vegetables and other perishables.
Over 50,000 lorries with interstate permits and another 40,000 were part of the ongoing strike.
The number would swell to over 2.5 lakh if the smaller goods carriers were also considered.
National goods movement hit
AIMTC started a nationwide indefinite strike on July 20 demanding reduction in central and state taxes by getting diesel under the GST. According to reports, the strike was more effective in the financial capital Mumbai, while in other parts of the country, including Delhi, it evoked a response.
AIMTC claims that about 93 lakh trucks are affiliated to the body.
Apart from demanding reduction in diesel prices, truckers are also against the 'flawed and non-transparent' toll collection system that favoured road concessioners and alleged that the time and fuel loss shot up to Rs 1.5 trillion annually on this count.
Truckers were also miffed at high insurance premium and wanted a reduction in third-party premium.
Apart from this, they were also pressing for exemptions and abolition of indirect taxes, national permits for all buses and trucks and also doing away with the direct port delivery tendering system.
