Truckers’ ‘jurisdiction policy’ sowing seeds of discontentment, strife

Truck owners from Sanguem town and other adjoining villages which comprise of Uguem, Bhati, Wadem, Neturlim and Molcornem are left high and dry with the unauthorised law of jurisdiction being applied by truck owners in their respective areas of operation.

Sanguem taluka which comprises of the town area and five village panchayats have several truck owners who are literally left unemployed since the total ban on mining activities in the State in 2012.

During the time when the mining operation was in full swing, there were no restrictions over the movement of the mining trucks and the truckers were free to ply their trucks at the mines of their choice. However, in 2010, with the number of trucks increasing by each passing day on account of the mining boom and the earnings one could make from the operation of the mining trucks, the system of jurisdiction came to be followed at some mines.

Under the unauthorised law of jurisdiction which continues to be followed as of date, only truck owners residing in the vicinity of a particular mine and along the transportation route are permitted to employ their trucks at that mine. This has put the truck owners from other region face with the problem of no work despite the minimal operation of mining activities at certain mines.

The worst hit are the truckers from Sanguem town and nearby villages who are left with no work at all despite the taluka having been a home for a large number of mines located in the villages of Tudov and Rivona.

With the unauthorised law of jurisdiction being in force, the truckers from Sanguem and its neighboring villages are permitted to ply their trucks only at Timblo Mines at Tolem, which incidentally has remained functional for a maximum period of two months during the last period of last two years. The money spend by the truckers from Sanguem to put their trucks in order to ply at the mines, stands hardly recoverable, informed a truck owner Josinho D’costa.

Ironically, though Rivona village remains a part of Sanguem taluka, the truckers from Rivona do not permit the truckers from Sanguem to ply their trucks at any of the mines in Rivona village. Even talks by the local MLA to persuade the truckers from Rivona village to permit the truckers from Sanguem to ply at the mines in operation at Rivona Village have failed to yield any positive response.

The President of Sanguem Truck Owners Association Babu Narvekar has termed the jurisdiction policy followed in the neighbouring villages to be highly illegal. 

“When the mining business was in full swing, we did not stop any truckers from plying their trucks at Tolem mines. It is ironical that our very own business associates do not understand our problems,” he lamented. 

A mining transport contractor Supraj Tari also echoed similar feelings. “No truckers can dictate as to which trucks should ply at a particular mine. The government authorities should look into the grievances faced by the truckers from Sanguem and avoid the truckers from framing their own laws in the matter of ore transportation, as the situation may go out of hands,” ,” he emphasised. 

Outgoing President of Sanguem Truck Owners Association Queiroz Cruz informed that as per Supreme Court order there can be no restrictions on the transportation of ore by any particular community or by a section of truckers. 

Cruz urged for the immediate stopping of the present mechanism followed by a section of the truck owners.

Incidentally, though Deputy Collector, Quepem at a recent meeting with truck owners and mining representatives had made it clear that there cannot be any law of jurisdiction applied in the employment of trucks, the instructions are ignored by truck and mine owners.

The Sanguem taluka which initially had over 500 trucks, are now left with around 300 trucks as a large number of trucks owners have either sold their trucks or the trucks are in scrap condition.