TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Lying idle for over a year now following closure of mining operations, truck owners battled on the streets for a share of the bauxite ore transportation from Canaguinim plateau on Tuesday, with agitated truck owners from Margao bringing movement of all mining traffic to a complete halt along the eastern bypass at Arlem. (Photo on page 4)
As the situation threatened to go out of control, the district authorities led by Deputy Collector Sangeeta Naik intervened by convening an emergency meeting between the mine owner Mayur Gosalia and Margao truck owners in the district collectorate this evening. After lengthy discussions, District Collector N D Agrawal said that the authorities have left it to the mine owner to solve the imbroglio by working out an amicable settlement amongst the warring truck owners. “We felt that the district authorities should not interfere in the issue at this stage when the mine owner has assured to work out a solution to the problem”, Agrawal said. Replying to a query, he said he is hopeful that no untoward incident will occur at the mining site on Wednesday.
The Margao truck owners led by Sanjay Naik said they are happy with the outcome of the talks with the district collector and the mine owner. “We have been assured that the mine owner would work out a mechanism wherein a queue system will be followed. This is acceptable to us”, he said.
Earlier in the day, tension rent the air along the eastern bypass when agitated Margao truck owners stopped bauxite ore transportation in retaliation against the denial of business at the mining site atop the Canaguinim plateau. “The local truck owners have been creating problems for outside truck owners. They don’t follow any queue system. While they get one or two trips a day, we have to wait for a day or two to get a single trip. Today, we have stopped the ore transportation in protest against the discrimination against truck owners from Margao and other places”, Sanjay told the media.
He said that outside truck owners and drivers have been roughed up by some local truck owners, leaving them high and dry. “Our demand is that each truck owner should get at least one trip a day. But, here was a case when some of the local truckers were getting two trips and we were left to wait for a day or two to get a single trip”, he added.
