Chennai: Metro Water tanker drivers postpone strike to meet MD
The three-year contract expired in February 2024 but was extended until August due to the parliamentary elections.
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CHENNAI: The Metro Water Contract Lorry Owners' Association has postponed their planned strike to June 5 as they intend to meet the managing director of the Metro Water Board to address their long-standing grievances, including finalising new contracts and lorry owners' struggle to manage their EMI payments. The association noted that some owners even succumbed to heart attacks caused by financial pressure.
PS Sundaram, president, Metro Water Contract Lorry Owners' Association and S Kesavaram, association's secretary, told DT Next, "Our long-pending demand is to finalise a new contract and issue the work orders as soon as possible. We are also demanding an increase in the trip charge for the 6,000-litre capacity tankers from Rs 465 to Rs 510 per trip and for the 9,000-litre capacity tankers from Rs 575 to Rs 630 per trip.
Furthermore, PS Sundaram added, "Based on promises of a new agreement, several lorry owners purchased new vehicles. However, without the finalisation of the contractors, they are struggling to pay insurance and monthly instalments. As May 31 and June 1 fall on a weekend, we planned to meet with the managing director of the Metro Water department on June 2 to resolve these issues. If the meeting did not go as expected, we will resume our strike from June 5."
The three-year contract expired in February 2024 but was extended until August due to the parliamentary elections. A notification regarding the contract was issued on November 28.
"Only a notification was released last November, and there has been no progress since then. Currently, 400 tanker lorries are operating in the city to meet water needs, with tanker capacities ranging from 6,000 to 18,000 litres. The board has accepted the revised tariffs of Rs 510, Rs 630, Rs 697, and Rs 720 for tankers with capacities of 6,000, 9,000, 12,000, and 18,000 litres, respectively. The issuance of work orders has been pending for months, and once the work orders are issued, the revised tariffs will be implemented," explained Kesavaram.
