Thane recovers from truck strike, but vegetable prices hit the roof

Though truck drivers ended their protest over a new hit-and-run law on Tuesday, Thane residents are still feeling the aftershocks. Petrol pumps grapple with fuel shortages, and vegetable prices remain elevated. Long queues snaked around some Thane petrol stations Wednesday morning as pump operators awaited fresh deliveries. At an HP pump on Ghodbunder Road, manager Dattaram Pingale reported, "We haven't received fuel yet. Tanks are on the way from Vashi. We have about an hour's worth of petrol and diesel left." Staff members were troubled to the the long rush since 2 days. Sandesh Pingale, staff member of HP petrol pump says, "I worked here since 32 years. But for the 1st time in my service, I have seen such a worst rush yesterday. There were long queues of lots of vehicles and it was a headache due to the protest. But as they have taken back the strike, we are hoping for normalcy soon." Vegetable markets haven't fully recovered either. Supply disruptions keep prices inflated. Green peas, for instance, jumped from Rs 30 per kilo two days ago to Rs 100 yesterday and Rs 150 today. Similar spikes are seen in onions, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Mahendra Gupta, a vegetable vendor, waits for a delayed delivery from Vashi. "Only one truck with leafy vegetables arrived from Nashik," he explained. "There's a major shortage of some items like carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage because of yesterday's protest. We can't offer fresh produce to customers." The nationwide truck strike stemmed from the drivers' opposition to a provision in the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita penal code. It imposes a Rs 7 lakh fine and 10-year jail term for hit-and-run cases. Panic buying gripped the country as deliveries faltered. The Transport Association called off the strike Tuesday evening after the government promised consultations with the All India Motor Transport Congress before implementing the hit-and-run law.