Several E-commerce firms breathed a sigh of relief when the truck drivers’ association called off its two-day-long strike after meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah late evening on January 2. The companies had already faced a delay in order deliveries and were sure that they would run a deeper risk of inventory mismanagement if the protest over the new hit-and-run rule continued any longer, industry executives told Moneycontrol.
Due to the strikes, long lines of people were observed at fuel stations nationwide on January 2, particularly in the northern and western areas. The reports of the transporters’ strike and fuel scarcity had caused panic among the populace, resulting in 2,000 gas pumps running out of fuel.
The next move won’t be made until after speaking with officials of the All India Motor Transport Congress over the newly imposed rule on careless driving. After more truck drivers joined the strike and demonstrations gained traction and expanded to many locations, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla stated on January 2.
Truck Drivers call off strike
“The truck drivers we have tied up with had stopped while traveling and some others voluntarily joined the strikes, especially in Maharashtra and Punjab, which affected delivery timelines for us,” an executive at an E-commerce firms told Moneycontrol.
“Now that the strike has been called off, we’ll get an update tomorrow on what happens to the timelines but there have certainly been delays,” the executive added.
Even other e-commerce companies witnessed a delay in shipments, especially to their central warehouses.
Currently, anticipate a one to two-day delay in customer delivery. Since yesterday, January 1, trucks have been stranded in many states. The disturbance is undeniably present. When questioned about the fallout from such demonstrations, an official at another e-commerce business told Moneycontrol, “And if the strike was not controlled immediately, it would have been severe – and then bringing it back into order takes a long time.”
As a result of the strike, long queues of people were seen at various fuel stations across the country on January 2 as reports of the transporters’ strike and fuel shortage created panic among people which led to 2,000 petrol pumps running dry.
The situation was so bad that local authorities curbed the amount of fuel bikes and cars could buy in certain regions. In Chandigarh, two-wheeler riders were told that they could only buy up to two liters of fuel, and four-wheeler drivers were informed that they could only purchase up to five litres of fuel.
“Our last-mile delivery partners have also complained that they’ve been unable to get an adequate amount of petrol because of which delivery timelines have to be pushed out.,”
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