To help drivers engaged in supplies of essential commodities and other cargo, the road transport ministry on Monday launched a dashboard containing list of dhabas and truck repair shops.

In addition, the National Highways Authority of India's centralised call number 1033 has also been enabled to answer calls and help drivers/cleaners to find information about the dhabas and repair shops along National Highways.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has created a dashboard link on its website for providing list and details of dhabas and truck repair shops available across the country by various organisations like NHAI, states, oil marketing companies. The list can be accessed at https://morth.nic.in/dhabas-truck-repair-shops-opened-during-covid-19," the ministry said in a statement.

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This is intended to facilitate the truck/cargo drivers and cleaners in their movement while travelling between different places of the country for delivering required goods in the present challenging times of lockdown announced to curb COVID-19 pandemic.

Regular contact is being maintained with various stake holders particularly states/UTs, oil marketing companies (OMCs), etc, in providing information which is then updated on the dashboard link on MoRTH website, the statement said.

"It may be stated that these dhabas and repair shops, drivers, cleaners or any other person in the chain of movement of goods, shall follow all the necessary precautions and healthcare protocols of social distancing, use of masks, hygiene, etc," the statement said.