State Govt in the driver8217;s seat

However, work has already come to a standstill at Kandla Port as transporters stopped booking cargo a couple of days before itself in anticipation of the strike. Jetties and warehouses are choked with thousands of tonnes of cargo which has been unloaded, but is lying idle for want of clearance.

According to the new chairman A K Jyoti, the Kandla Port Trust has procured enough stock of diesel to keep its tugs and other surface vessels in operation. 8220;But clearance is not in our hands and we have requested clearing agencies to clear goods from the port area,8221; he said.

More than 30,000 trucks which operate from KPT will be off the roads, thus affecting movement of goods related to import and export.

But Gupta says supply of essential commodities like vegetables, milk, medicines, cooking gas in the State will be allowed to continue during the strike period.

Honorary secretary of the Akhil Gujarat Truck Transport Association Nimish J Patel said supply of diesel and petrol would not be undertaken by private truck operators.

When contacted, Transport Commissioner P Panneervel said he foresaw no problem as far as supply of essential commodities was concerned. He said the Government was geared up to deal with any eventuality. 8220;All control rooms set up at the transport commissioner8217;s office, besides the 25 Regional Transport Offices all over the State to monitor the situation on a continuous basis have already started functioning,8221; Panneervel informed. He said the main control room had been set up at the Home Department office in Gandhinagar to monitor the State-wide situation.

8220;Besides, a high-level committee has also been constituted, which will review the situation each morning from tomorrow onwards and will submit its report to the Government on a daily basis,8221; Panneervel said, adding that all District Collectors had been asked to chalk out their priorities based on requirement of essential commodities and co-ordinate with the Government on a routine basis.

Panneervel also said police on the main roads and highways had been put on alert to ensure that supply of essential commodities was not interrupted anywhere in the State. 8220;Punitve action will be taken against truckers who try to instigate their counterparts to organise chakka jam or park their trucks in the middle of roads. Morover, the National Defence Act is already in force,8221; Panneervel said.

According to a report from Rajkot, though the city has petrol to last a week, groundnut oil movement has ceased and there is likely to be shortage of fruits and vegetables.

However, the district administration claims all arrangements have been made to the meet the situation. District Collector Pravin Trivedi, District Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma, District Supply Officer Dinesh Modi and Municipal Commissioner Raj Gopal met today to assess the situation. Trivedi later said they would ensure regular supply of all the items covered under the Essential Commidities Act.

What has come as a relief for the district administration is that the chakdo rikshaw, widely used in rural transportation, is not taking part in the strike. This will enable transportation of vegetables and milk, the district collector said. Moreover, water tankers plying to various parts of Saurashtra have not joined the strike.

The Vadodara district administration has prepared a contingency plan and finalised elaborate security arrangements to prevent any untoward incident in view of the proposed strike.

Resident deputy collector C R Kharsan said a meeting for the purpose was held on Wednesday evening. It was attended by senior officials from the police, district supply office as well as oil companies.

Since several oil companies situated in and around Vadodara district supply more than 500 tankers of various petroleum products to other districts as well as States, special arrangements for smooth supply till the border districts, from where the different States will be responsible for safe transit, Kharsan specified.