Team Herald
PONDA: All Goa Truck Owners Association (AGTOA) President Nilkant Gawas on Wednesday demanded that Vedanta hold a discussion with them on transportation rate for fresh mining.
Addressing the media in Ponda, Gawas said that since the diesel price has been hiked, the transportation rates also should be hiked to Rs 17 per tonne per kilometre.
He warned Vedanta that if the transportation rates were not decided through negotiations with the truckers, they would launch an agitation and go on a strike as they did for 46 days last year, at Vadakade in Usgao.
“Last year, after a long agitation, we transported ore at Rs 10.20 per tonne per km; now, we want the rates to be fixed after a discussion with the truck owners,” he said.
Gawas urged the company to take a decision on holding a discussion with the truckers at earliest.
The truckers’ chief also demanded withdrawal of cases filed by Vendanta on some truck owners, including himself.
Meanwhile, he criticised the State transport department for making compulsory the speed governors without taking truck drivers into confidence.
Instead of framing policies in the interest of people, the government frames policies for its own interest and the interest of its ministers, he alleged.
He said that his association members want to do way with the speed governors and also want the speed limit be increased to 60 kilometres per hour from existing 40 kilometres.
Calling the annual charge Rs 8000 on GPS as unaffordable, Gawas said that the ore transportation business runs only for seven months in a year. Therefore, the notification on GPS by the Mines Department, he said, was issued without considering ground realities.
The press briefing was attended by Dharbandora Sarpanch Vinayak Gawas, Narayan Sawant, Prakash Gauns, Shivdas Wadkar, Jitendra Naik and Mangaldas Gawas were present on the occasion.
