the goan I network
MARGAO
The Salcete Truck Owners Association has urged MLAs, more so MLAs belonging to the Congress party, not to pressurise the transport contractors to hire their trucks for the transportation of black metal coming at the MPT from Singapore.
Addressing the media, Association President Franky Gomes pointed out that the Congress MLAs have no right to pressurise the transport contractors to engage their trucks when these MLAs had not taken up cudgels for the Salcete truck owners when they were denied business at the Cavrem mine in February last.
He pointed out that instead of pressurising the transport contractors, the Congress MLAs would do well to join hands with the ruling BJP and unitedly make a strong case with the Union government for the early resumption of mining in Goa and accommodate all the trucks in the transportation of ore.
“Around 200 trucks are presently engaged in the transportation of the black metal from the MPT port. If one had to apply the yardsticks adopted by the truck operators of Cavrem, then the first preference for the transportation of the black metal should come to the truckers from Vasco, followed by Margao. But, we do not want to discriminate against any trucker, but at the same time the Congress MLAs should stop pressurising the contractors to hire their trucks,” Gomes said.
Displaying a copy of the memorandum submitted to the South Goa District Collector dated February 25, seeking his intervention to the denial of business for the Salcete truck owners for the transportation of ore at Cavrem, Gomes said ‘at that time, we had literally knocked the doors of the Congress MLAs, besides the Collector. The Congress MLAs did not take up cudgels for the Salcete truckers and neither did the Collector reply back to our memorandum’.
