We can’t recognise any self-acclaimed leader of truck owners: Vedanta
PANAJI
Vedanta has hit out against certain elements within the truck owners lobby who are disrupting the movement of iron ore. The Goan had earlier reported how the company had filed a police complaint against a few truck owners who had set a truck ablaze and had threatened their officials. In a press statement, Vedanta has now clearly said that it is open to recognising a representative on behalf of truck owners with whom the company has been working for decades. But, at the same time, the company has also made it categorically clear that it can’t recognise any self-acclaimed leader of the truckers.
Ever since the company re-started mining in August this year, it has been getting into such problems with truck owners. There are two basic issues to it; one, the demand for trucks has declined, as the quantum of ore to be transported has been reduced. Two, the state government had fixed an enhanced rate for the movement of e-auctioned ore, due to which truckers have been demanding that a similar rate should be fixed for movement of freshly extracted ore as well. As a result, a certain section within the truck owners group don’t want anyone to transport the ore unless the state government revises the rate. At the same time, there are truck owners who have expressed their willingness to transport ore. In a nutshell, not every truck owner seems to be happy with market forces deciding the rate; they want the state government to intervene in the matter.
Vedanta has resolved to engage with the truck owners who belong to the route through which the ore is being transported. Its press release stated, “Around 1,300 trucks have been engaged for the movement of e-auctioned and freshly mined ore from Codli to Amona/Surla. The organization has engaged the services of the truck owners travelling from the en-route villages viz Codli, Dharbandora, Usgao, Pali, Bhamai, Maina, Navelim and Surla/Amona.”
Responding sharply to last week’s incidents of a truck being set ablaze and nuisance being created, Vedanta’s press release added, “The current agitation has been spearheaded by a group of truck owners who neither belong to the Codli/Amona route or don't want to transport fresh cargo at the rate that has been negotiated. Vedanta does not coerce any truck owner and service provider and is willing to work only with truck owners who wholeheartedly have come forward for a mutual benefit in the interest of business.”
