IT, ITES companies to feel heat as water tankers stay off roads

The IT and ITES sector in Chennai, which remained unaffected by the Bharat Bandh on Thursday, was likely to take a hit in the next few days due to the ongoing strike by private water tankers’ association, said a highly placed source from the sector.

The strike began on Monday night after revenue officials seized five water tankers on charges of operating without valid papers.

A P Narayanaswamy, secretary, Chennai Private Water Lorry Tankers’ Association, said, “We supply water to all the IT and ITES companies located along the IT Corridor and in Sholinganallur, Guindy and Ambattur Industrial Estate. We are not going to withdraw our strike till the government issues licence to our lorries and to the borewells.”

Sources in the sector said that the strike could have a paralysing effect on the entire sector by Friday.

The private water tankers had a fleet of about 1,000 lorries supplying 4,000 loads a day to the IT and ITES companies, besides big hospitals, hotels and the malls in the city.