Agra's truck repair shops shut, drivers stuck

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SME Times News Bureau | 06 Apr, 2020
Teeming with both people and vehicles during normal times, the Transport Nagar and Baluganj in the city of the Taj now wear a desolate look due to the nationwide lockdown since March 24 midnight.

With scores of shops offering repairs of trucks and automobiles shut, all one can see is trucks parked on roads and in front of shops, apart from their drivers who have been stuck there due to the sudden announcement of the lockdown.

"We have been stuck here since March 22. We want to get our trucks repaired, but the shops are closed. We have been cooking our own food to survive," said one of the truck drivers stranded in the area.

A repair shop owner said that he used to get around 20 trucks to repair daily in normal times. "I opened my shop for the repair of a vehicle used in emergency work. I can't figure out how I will manage to arrange money for rent," he said.

In Baluganj, which has many repair shops for two-wheelers, mechanics and other workers were stuck with no work.

Agra Traders Association vice president Rajesh Singhal said that they would ensure that salaries of workers and mechanics were not affected due to the lockdown and also see to it that the shop owners are not harassed for rent for the lockdown period.

"At present, coronavirus is a huge challenge before us, and we have to face it unitedly," he remarked.