Last week, the rates from Mumbai to most of the states were down expect for few states like Jammu & Kashmir and Assam. The persistent tension in Kargil, forced the freight rates higher last week too.

The rates to Jammu went up to Rs 27,000 while to Srinagar the rates increased by Rs 2,000 to Rs 30,000. The rates to Himachal Pradesh, however, decreased due to fall in the cargo movement. The rates to Shimla fell by Rs 300 to Rs 18,000. The truck rates to Delhi too fell sharply by Rs 800 to Rs 13,000 due to fall in cargo and plenty vehicles in the market. In the last fortnight, the Mumbai to Delhi rates have declined by Rs 1,200.

The rates to Haryana and Punjab also fell in the Rs 400-600 range. The rates to Patna dipped by Rs 1,500 to Rs 18,500. The rates to Lucknow (in Uttar Pradesh), however, staged a recovery of Rs 300 to Rs 13,800while rates to Meerut and Agra fell by Rs 500 each to Rs 13,000.

In the west region, Maharashtra and Gujarat were comparatively steady. The Mumbai to Jaipur rates fell by Rs 800 to Rs 9,500 while rates to Ajmer were down by Rs 200 to Rs 8,800.

The Mumbai to Assam truck rates increased by Rs 2,000 to Rs 32,000 while those to Jorhat were up by Rs 1,500 to Rs 41,500.

The truck rates to Siliguri ( in West Bengal) were down by Rs 500 to Rs 22,000 while rates to Calcutta dipped by Rs 1,000 to Rs 18,000. The Mumbai to Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar were down by Rs 500 each to Rs 16,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively.

In south, the rates to Andhra Pradesh were steady while rates to Karnataka were slightly down for some centres. The Mumbai to Bangalore rates dipped by Rs 200 to Rs 8,800.

The rates to Chennai and Coimbatore dipped by Rs 200 to Rs 13,000 and Rs 12,800, respectively. The rates to Trichur were down by Rs 200 to Rs 14,600 while rates to Cochin decreased by Rs 500 to Rs 13,800.