JCB owners demand an increase in rental charges at Tirupur

Tiruppur district movers association and Perumanallur JCB owners’ association staged a protest on Saturday seeking the government intervention in the increasing price of fuel, spare parts, new vehicle taxes, vehicle insurance and road taxes. 
They demanded the government to increase rental charges of vehicles to a minimum of Rs 3,000 for the first hour and Rs 1,400 for each subsequent hour.
The members have been going on a strike from April 10 to 14, and as a part of it, JCB machines were halted at various parts of the district.
Their protest is impacting construction work, road laying work, drainage cleaning work, land leveling and agricultural work.
According to the protestors, a JCB machine cost them about Rs 23 lakh in 2019, and now its price has gone up to Rs 38 lakh. The monthly EMI ranges from Rs 60,000 which needs to be paid for about 60 months.
In 2019, the rental rate was Rs 2,000 for the first hour and Rs. 1,000 for the following hour. 
Despite rising costs for drivers’ wages, labor, and maintenance, rental rates have remained unchanged, affecting their livelihood.
With increasing costs of living and equipment, the association has been demanding an increase in rental charges. 
They urged the governments to reduce road taxes, insurance premiums, and other related charges to help control price inflation.
The protest was led by vice-president Eswar Durai, and secretary Muthukumaran. The event was coordinated by Periyasamy, secretary Raju, Kannan, and over 25 JCB owners’ participated in the protest.