<![CDATA[Coronavirus: India's lockdown traps truckers on roads, throws supply chains into disarray]>

More than 2,000km from home, Ananth is waging a lonely battle against hunger and thirst. The 30-year-old trucker has been stuck in the city of Kanpur, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, for the past fortnight " unable to deliver the goods he has brought all this way, or even see his toddler.

Ananth, who goes by a single name and hails from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, is among tens of thousands of Indian truckers stranded on motorways and in the country's remote corners amid the 21-day lockdown that came into force on March 24.

He is part of a vital supply chain, the lifeline pumping food and supplies around the world's second most populous country " or he was, until Prime Minister Narendra Modi's edict paralysed the movement of 1.35 billion people in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.

With his provisions running out and eateries on the motorways also shut due to the lockdown, Ananth is at the mercy of altruistic individuals and non-government organisations in Kanpur.

Stranded Indian truckers receive donations of rice. Photo: Ananth alt=Stranded Indian truckers receive donations of rice. Photo: Ananth

"I've been on the road for nearly a month now," he said. "I brought about 10kg of rice from home but that has now run out. Thankfully some volunteers in this area offered me groceries so I can survive for a few more days."

His story is not unique.

No fewer than 150,000 trucks are now parked across the country, unable to transport the goods they carry " with some industry experts saying there might be up to 500,000 immobile trucks.

According to official figures, there are 12 million registered goods-carrying transport in India, 3 million of which were estimated to be on the road when the lockdown was announced with four hours' notice.

"This [lockdown] is not smooth on the ground level. There have been several incidents of police high-handedness and harassment. Police constables are asking for hefty bribes. Drivers are being beaten up, abused and heckled," said Naveen Kumar Gupta, secretary general of the All India Motor Transport Congress, an umbrella organisation of transport companies representing 9.3 million truckers across India.

Truck drivers are allegedly being shot at by police, while low-ranking police personnel have been penalised for using excessive force in some states.

"Vehicles are stopped abruptly and not allowed to move. Even essential items are not permitted to be transported," Gupta said. "Thousands of migrant workers gathered in Delhi so the government immediately took action [to provide relief for them]. But the truck drivers are scattered across the country so they're suffering invisibly."

Hunger, and fear of the pandemic, have forced hundreds of truckers to abandon their vehicles. One trucker, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had parked his vehicle at the border of two states and escaped to his home along with 10 other drivers because he was "clueless" about what was happening and there was "panic everywhere".

"Even the owners who attempt to transport essential goods such as food find that trips run into heavy losses and high risks," Gupta said.

On March 29, the central government issued an order allowing all types of goods to be transported without distinguishing between essential or non-essential products, but this notice appears to have had little impact on the ground.

On top of this, hungry villagers are looting the trucks as stocks and supplies in India's rural regions are rapidly depleting.

Trucks parked by the side of the road in India. Photo: Ananth alt=Trucks parked by the side of the road in India. Photo: Ananth

Meanwhile, farmers in multiple states are finding it difficult to transport their produce due to the severe labour shortage and hamstrung transport options, with some dumping their perishables as they cannot move or sell the goods.

For those engaged in agriculture, the lockdown could not have come at a worse time as this is the peak harvest season for winter crops. Many expected this year to be a bumper harvest.

Even if the farmers manage to transport their produce from the fields, the acute restrictions and markets stripped of their workers will ensure there are no profits to be earned.

Over a dozen vegetable and grocery vendors in Bangalore have said they could not replenish their stocks at even half their regular pace since their respective wholesalers were unable to procure items.

Prices of fruits and vegetables have risen steadily, sometimes doubling, in major cities since the shutdown " and there is no sign that this will ease any time soon.

Vipul Bansal, honorary general secretary of the Bombay Goods Transport Association, said there was enormous confusion in the supply chain as the truckers were unable to deliver goods because the warehouses were locked.

"We're with the government at this time of crisis," he said. "But the drivers are finding it difficult to deliver the consignment and hundreds of our truckers with goods-loaded vehicles are stranded on motorways. We're incapable of helping them as we cannot travel."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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