Coronavirus lockdown | Less than 30% of truck fleet operating amid restrictions

AIMTC has sought an extension of e-way bill validity at least until May 31, 2020

Pramiti Lonkar

May 04, 2020 / 17:28 IST

Representative image.

While lockdown restrictions have been eased for smooth movement of trucks for the transportation of essential and non-essential goods, only 25-30 percent of the truck fleet is currently operating across India, according to the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), which represents nearly 90 lakh truck owners.

"The vehicles are being stopped for the reason of expired E-way bill. It is feared that a penalty on the value of goods may be slapped on the truckers. This will further curtail the movement of trucks in the country," says Kultaran Singh Atwal, President, AIMTC.

AIMTC has sought an extension of e-way bill validity at least until May 31, 2020.

While the Centre has issued guidelines for lifting restrictions there is confusion on the ground as states have the final say on lockdown conditions. These vary from state to state, depending on the spread of the coronavirus.

Several border check posts in the Bihar, Madhya Pradesh among others have reported instances of extortion and corruption. Restrictions at interstate borders and nakas and across different COVID-19 zones is impeding movement.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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