Team Herald
PONDA: Threatening to intensify their stir, the All Goa Truck Owners Association (AGTOA) said they will not allow a single truck to ply from Thursday.
AGTOA President Nilkant Gawas made this statement as Vedanta-Sesa Goa Resources transported mineral ore under police protection for the second day on Wednesday. Protesting truck owners, agitating at Vadakade Usgao for the 13th day, raised slogans against the government for not solving the ore transportation rate issue.
Truck owner Balaji Gawas said that four years ago, the transportation rate was Rs 11 per tonne of ore per kilometre but now it is Rs 8, which is too little. He said that in the last four years, inflation has skyrocketed and this is being ignored by the government and mining companies.
As truck owners had warned to bring their families to the protest, a large police force, that included lady police, was deployed but truck owners alone protested.
The truck owners were joined by Congress leaders on Wednesday. State Congress president Luizinho Faleiro and Opposition Leader Pratapsingh Rane assured the truck owners support and said they will raise the issue with the government. Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco also assured support to the truck owners by actively participating in the agitation. Two other MLAs, Rohan Khaunte and Naresh Sawal, also said they would support the truck owners.
Rane warned Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar that in a democratic country police raj will not be tolerated. He said this is a democratic country and issues should be sort out by discussion. Though rates are down in the international market the government should be on the side of the truck owners instead of asking truckers to manage with whatever rates the company is paying, he said.
He added a large number of mining dependent people are suffering for the past four years and the tragedy is that the government is asking them to bear with the situation instead of advising the mining company to compromise.
He said that since the Central government benefited by the crores of rupees, and as there are BJP governments at the Centre and State, they should help the people with financial packages.
Faleiro said the CM should remember this is not a dictatorship but a democracy and that Congress will not tolerate the use of police force. He said whatever the allegations, Congress had never worked against the livelihood of the common man. “This is dictatorship by BJP government,” he said and questioned for how long the police will provide protection.
He said he is concerned as the government is neglecting issues of the common man and it has also brought about the amendment to the Tenancy Act, which is against the interest of farmers and tenants.
Sardesai said the government says more than 4 lakh people depend on mining but its policy is to help four mining companies, and expressed support to the agitation and promised to raise the issue in the Assembly.
Lourenco also expressed support to the truck owners and assured to participate in the agitation.
