PERNEM
Truckers affiliated to the Pernem Truck Owners Association continued their protest along the highway at Nhaibag-Poraskade in Pernem for the second day on Thursday and threatened to continue their agitation indefinitely if their demands were not resolved by the government.
Their plan to block trucks arriving from Maharashtra did not materialise after Pernem Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi held talks with the agitating truck owners.
Deputy Chief Minister Babu Ajgaonkar also visited the striking truck operators and told them that despite holding discussions with the transportation company at the Mopa airport site, the company was unwilling to increase rates for the local truck operators.
"I can't force them to increase their rates, but local truck owners have my full support,” said Ajgaonkar, while speaking to reporters.
"The local truck owners have discussed the matter with the transportation company and trucks from outside the state have been hired as the company cannot afford the rates demanded by local truckers.”
“If local truck owners agree to the company's rates, the issue can be solved. I cannot force the company to change their rates," said Ajgaonkar.
When asked if he had worked out any solution to resolve the problem, Ajgaonkar shot back: “I'm not their leader, they have their own leaders."
The protesting truck operators have refused to accept the rates offered by the company and said their protest would continue.
Incidentally, a large police team was present at the venue of the striking truckers in anticipation of the deputy chief minister's visit to the site. The police were, incidentally, not present on Wednesday, when their strike had begun.
