Sarpanch Kalidas Gaonkar patiently heard the grievances of the villagers, but the upset villagers including several truck owners, panicked as no transportation business was given to them by the mining company operating in the village. They demanded from the panchayat to immediately ban the transportation of e-auctioned ore by trucks from outside the State at the cost of local truck owners.
According to the gram sabha members, the villagers are dependent on transportation of mining ore and it is the only livelihood for them for the last many years. They said some have also sold their agricultural land to mining companies by relying on assurances given by the mining companies to provide them transportation business and employment in mining companies.
The villagers said even after assuring to engage one truck of a family in the village for recently started e-auctioned ore transportation, the mine owners suddenly engaged truckers from outside the State.
The villagers further said they do not know the intention of the mining company to invite outside truckers when there are hundreds of local truck owners who are jobless in the village.
The locals demanded that the transportation contract be given to the locals or ban ore transportation by outside truckers.
The irked locals also objected to the NOC given to proposed special mining corridor bypass road by a mining company from the village and demanded to immediately revoke the NOC. Many other developmental issues were also discussed at the gram sabha.
