Team Herald
MARGAO: Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar has assured the truck owners from Quepem that their long-pending issues of ore transportation will be solved soon.
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It is pertinent to note that the truck owners’ associations involved in the transportation of ore from the mines in Quepem taluka have been arguing since the recent Supreme Court order that the royalty paid mining ore can be lifted and transported till the end of January 2021.
At the fourth meeting between the truck associations from Maina, Kavre and Ambaulim and the management of the mines operating in Quepem taluka, it appeared that the dispute will end during the next meeting.
Earlier, Kavlekar conducted three meetings of the same parties and now after the fourth meeting, there appears to be a consensus to end the issue. The parties discussed as to which trucks should be allowed by the management to transport the ore.
“The local truck owners’ associations and those from neighbouring areas had locked horns against each other,” said Kavlekar.
The fourth meeting, which was held at Kavlekar’s residence at Betul, was attended by 200-300 truck owners, Cuncolim MLA Clafasio Dias and vice-chairperson of Cuncolim Municipal Council Videsh Desai. Some truck owners from Cuncolim claimed that they were denied entry pass to lift ore by local truck owners.
The DyCM said, “A consensus is in sight and the issue will be resolved in the next meeting which is to happen sometime in the coming week. It may be noted that the Supreme Court of India has already extended due date to lift and transport the royalty paid ore till the end of January 2021. With this relaxation by the apex court, the mining dependent truck owners have seen a ray of hope.”
“We have been in the dark for a very long time after mining stopped. This could just be a start of a brighter future,” said Surendra Faldesai, a truck owner.
