Districts step up vigil as many truck drivers return home

Several districts that are home to thousands of truck drivers and their helpers have stepped up checks for symptoms of Covid-19 after lockdown measures were eased to boost inter-state movement of goods. From Nuh in Mewat and Ferozepur in Punjab to Ratnal in Kutch and Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, most districts with truckers' villages have new rules in place for their drivers, including limited travel to Maharashtra, screening of drivers at least two times, and compulsory 14-day quarantine outside of the village for every lorry driver returning home.

Transport associations, however, told ET that state border checks of drivers are not enough as there is still a shortage of food, repair mechanics and medical care on highways. Apart from Punjab, Maharashtra, Tripura, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have recorded cases of lorry drivers having contracted Covid-19.

Nuh, which a month ago accounted for about a third of the state’s coronavirus infections, has reported two new infections after a week of no cases. The district is on guard with its 100,000 truck drivers on the move across the country, and returning home every day.

Nuh’s district administration, led by collector Pankaj Kumar, has constituted a check post surveillance committee for lorry drivers. Deputy district collector Vikram Yadav told ET that while the first challenge for the state was dealing with 700 members of Tablighi Jamaat who had returned, now the challenge is entirely about truck drivers and people coming from Gurgaon and Delhi, where there are a high number of cases.

"We have asked every village head to connect to every house and tell us about the driver or outsider coming. The information is also being sought from every check post," he said.

Punjab has reported a new case of a lorry driver with Covid-19 who had come from Jammu in the last few days.

Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, which has over 50,000 drivers--among the highest in the country--has 12 rules for drivers, one of which is to strictly avoid going to Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, Pune and Nasik. All three industrial hubs of Maharashtra are in the red zone for Covid-19.

K Megraj, Namakkal, collector, told ET that the district administration has also specifically made a series of video clips titled "those who are afraid live longer", specifically targeted at lorry drivers. "Initially, it was difficult convincing them about the mandated screening and quarantining when they come back. But later, we told them it was entirely for business reasons. If a driver gets infected, it will drive away clients."

Kulwant Singh, collector of Ferozepur, which is home to hundreds of lorry drivers—one village alone has 700 trucks--said many of the drivers have chosen to stay where they were when the lockdown was announced. "Now they are finding orders to come to Faridkot, Delhi and places in Haryana, so that they can stop over in their village. This is why we spruced up our surveillance."

Meanwhile, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have advised lorry owners to inform transport officials about freight movement, origin of journey, expected date of arrival in the district, mobile phone numbers of drivers and cleaners.

The Andhra Pradesh government is distributing about 30,000 ‘driver protection kits’, each containing three face masks, a pair of gloves, a sanitiser and two soaps.

Praveena DK, collector of Kutch, which has the highest number of trucks in Gujarat, said both checkpoints of the district Adesar and Samakhiali have been assigned teams of medical professionals in three shifts to screen the drivers and disinfect their vehicles before they are allowed to enter the district.

"The symptomatic ones are being sent to hospital directly. Since Kutch is always the origin or destination, we have the advantage of not being a transit point. Both ports have been asked to key in entry and exit details of the trucks. So there is a mandatory two-time screening of every driver," she told ET.

According to government estimates, over 50% of the trucks in the country have started services after lockdown measures were eased. The Centre also recently started a helpline for truck drivers.

However, truck drivers’ associations have been demanding insurance package and ease in rules to help them move between states more easily.

Prakash Bhanushali, vice president of the Maharashtra Heavy Vehicles and Interstate Containers' Association, told ET that states should communicate to make movement of trucks easier.

"All essential commodities, fruits and paddy are being carried both within and outside the state by lorry drivers who are, unfortunately, operating under fear. There is a trauma centre at every toll plaza, but they are not equipped with testing. What drivers need at this time is monetary assurance in the form of insurance, and facilities such as food and mechanics on the highway," Bhanushali said.

"Only some NGOs are working to help the drivers. Only truck owners and employers are being seen as responsible for drivers now," he said.