The villagers of Pilgao-Sarmanas on Monday blocked iron ore transportation trucks on the main road, alleging that the mining company had failed to implement mandatory precautionary measures, leaving village roads slippery and unsafe for commuters, including schoolchildren.
Despite repeated objections, locals claimed the company continued to flout rules and transport ore even during rains. Mayem MLA Premendra Shet also alleged that such violations were causing “serious inconvenience” to residents.
In the past, villagers and panchayat members had repeatedly stopped mineral transport trucks and banned them from passing through village roads. However, residents said the company had shown “scant respect” for their objections, forcing them to once again block truck movement.
Local villager and lawyer Ajay Prabhugaonkar said large-scale mineral transportation during the monsoon was unprecedented. “It was not seen that the mining company had followed the law in any way,” he said. He added that a resolution passed at the Pilgao gram sabha on Sunday sought to ban such traffic, but the company responded by washing red-stained roads “to avoid disruption to this resolution,” something he claimed had never happened before.