PONDA
The rift has widened to such an extent that both the AGTOA and the North Goa Tipper Truck Owners’ Association have now challenged each other to display their strength.
While the AGTOA has termed the NGTTOA as a ‘committee for publicity’ and challenged them it prove its strength, the NGTTOA said it had amply proved its might by resuming mining business.
It may be recalled that AGTOA had decided to keep trucks off the roads to condemn the government’s action in penalising trucks exceeding the speed limit.
The very next day, NGTTOA snubbed the AGTOA by welcoming the government’s decision on speed limit and had appealed to truckers to follow the system in view of public safety.
Denouncing AGTOA’s method of confronting the government by agitations, the NGTTOA had said that problems could be resolved through discussions with the government.
Though AGTOA President Nilkanth Gawas had announced that trucks would be off the roads from last Friday, ore transportation continued on May 3.
When asked to explain the poor response to AGTOA’s bandh call, Gawas changed his statement saying, “I had only asked the truckers to think twice over the loss they would face. Those who kept the trucks off roads do so at their sole decision and I had never issued a bandh call.”
Gawas also attacked the NGTTOA for misguiding the truckers. “The truckers started ore transportation because of NGTTOA, which has misguided the truckers. Its committee is only to misguide by organising news conferences for publicity,” Gawas alleged.
“If it really has support of the truckers, it should show by convening a meeting. Nobody will attend it and I challenge it to do so,” Gawas stated.
Denouncing the NGTTOA as a namesake committee, Gawas added: “People are with us and not with them.”
On the other hand, NGTTOA President Suresh Desai refuted Gawas’ allegations and said the latter was merely politicizing the issue.
Incidentally, Gawas had joined the Congress party earlier this year. “Mining business has already started and hence we don’t need to organize any meeting. We are solving the problems, if any, by seeking help of departments concerned. When everything is running smoothly, what is the need to convene meetings?” asked Desai.
“We don’t need to prove our strength and everyone knows how we struggled to start mining business. When mining was suspended, we had convened meetings of all mining dependents across the State. Where was Nilkanth Gawas at that time? Does he have answer to my questions,” challenged Desai.
According to Desai, the AGTOA led by Gawas had obstructed transportation for two months over the rate issue. “He should tell the public how much loss mining industry had suffered due to his agitation,” Desai said.
