PANAJI
After close to twenty days of no work and no pay, Sesa Goa’s own employees took it upon themselves to transport iron ore. The company spokesperson said, “Our own workers/officers /managers drove trucks to move e-auctioned cargo. Our own employees formed a human chain to give protection to people moving ore.”
Earlier in the day, there was a ray of hope as All Goa Truck Owners Association (AGTOA) met truck owners who are willing to move ore at Rs 8 per tonne per km, which Sesa Goa is willing to pay.
But, like many times before, the talks failed, and as a result of this, Sesa Goa’s staff shouldered the task of transporting ore upon themselves. It was reported that Sesa Goa’s employees numbering around 500 formed a human chain from Matt Vadda junction in Bicholim to Sarmanas jetty, which is at a distance of 1.5 km, to ensure that ore could be moved without any untoward incident.
However, Sesa Goa claimed it didn't go peacefully. It’s official spokesperson said, “Even though our staff had formed a human chain, miscreants indulged in stone pelting, which injured some of our staff members.”
When asked to comment on this claim, Nilkanth Gawas, president, AGTOA, replied, “I was at the district court of Mapusa when this event occurred, and later we were meeting the Chief Minister in Panaji. We weren’t there and hence we can’t comment on this.”
Meanwhile, talks between Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and AGTOA ended in a stalemate. Sanquelim’s MLA Pramod Sawant was also present at the meeting. He said, “CM offered truck owners Rs 9 per tonne per km for first 10 kms, Rs 8.5 per tonne per km for 11-20 kms and Rs 8 per tonne per km for 21 kms and above”
Gawas said, “The truck owners didn’t agree on the rates offered by the CM.”
While the talks between CM and truck owners yield no result, on the other hand, Sesa Goa’s trucks were damaged and employees were assaulted. Sesa Goa’s official spokesperson continued, “Four trucks were damaged by miscreants and agitators forced us to halt transportation at Codli-Surla route.”
The company said it faced similar problems even in Bicholim where a collision between its staff and agitating truckers occurred. Its spokesperson claimed, “Subhas Kinnelkar from Mayem, who is also AGTOA’s treasurer, started obstructing the truckers, which resulted in the said collision. Three of our staff-members were assaulted and injured.”
