Bengaluru: Upset over non-payment of long pending transport bills, the State Ration Foodgrains Wholesale and Retail Transporters Association has launched an indefinite stir from Monday demanding immediate clearance of pending payments.

Speaking to press persons here yesterday, the Association President G.R. Shanmugappa said that the State Government has not paid transport bills to the tune of Rs. 260 crore for transportation of rice under Anna Bhagya scheme from February to June and bills pertaining to transport of food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for the months of April, May and June.

Maintaining that 4,500 lorries have transported a total of 25 lakh tonnes of food grains in the five months from February to June, Shanmugappa said that the State Government had convened a meeting  last month after lorry transporters demanded payment of bills, when the Government had then promised release of Rs. 100 crore within June 25. But the Government has failed on its promise by not releasing funds, he alleged.

Stating that the State Government has also not refunded the EMD amount of transport tenders even after the transporters had provided Bank security, Shanmugappa alleged that the EMD money has not been refunded even to those bidders who failed to get the contract. The EMD money to be refunded itself amounts to Rs. 25 crore, he maintained. Shanmugappa further said that the indefinite food grains lorry strike will continue and the lorry owners will not transport ration grains until the Government clears all pending transport bills that has run up to Rs. 260 crore since February.

Meanwhile, the ration grains lorry strike in Mysuru too began on Monday as part of the State wide stir, with lorry owners stopping to transport grains from godowns to ration shops across the city and district, according to Railway Goods Shed Lorry Owners Association President Abdul Khader Shahid.