The real life story of Santosh Gopi Naik, 49, resident of Cacora – Curchorem, is a perfect riches-to-rags saga. After flourishing in the mine trade, he, in 2010, decided to join the truck transportation business. He first sold all the gold his mother and wife inherited and purchased a Tipper truck and was confident that soon he would add one more truck to his “fleet” with the surplus money after clearing the operational expenses. Naik has also dreamed of building a concrete roof for his hut after the loan amount was settled and then he wanted to buy his first family car… and live happily thereafter.
As expected, after his truck business took off, his dreams gradually turned into reality and within the first year, he managed to maintain his asking rate. “For me, it was like a jackpot as suddenly things stated falling in place and I was in position to buy all the happiness for my family but all this was temporary and I had no clue that life would take such an ugly turn soon after the closure of mining operations in the State in October 2012. Since then, the bad patch in the form of a financial crisis has been taking a toll on me and my family and today we are shattered. But I can’t think of committing suicide and the after thoughts of what would happen to my family, scares me,” Naik
said.
Naik who used to sport a gold bracelet and a thick gold chain when his trade had flourished, had to compromise a huge deal and today from a truck owner, Naik is a motorbike pilot. The thick gold chain has given way to a religious black thread, which he may have acquired from a Godman to get rid of the curse.
From anything between Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 per month, his total daily earning has come to Rs 300 to Rs 400. “With this money, I have to ensure that I can pay medical bills of my 72-year- old mother, keep aside some money for my child’s education, manage household affairs and also pay my monthly EMI for the truck, for which I sold all the gold we had. My truck loan is my biggest headache. We see the Diwali lights and sparkle in every home, but ours remains in darkness,” Naik laments.
According to Prakash Raut Desai, president of South Goa Progressive Truck Owners Association (SGPTOA), almost 90 percent of truck owners in South Goa and especially in the areas under the mining belt of Sanvorden, Curchorem and Quepem have been facing a similar situation. “Anxiety and high tension have claimed many lives while many don’t contemplate suicide thinking of their family members. With no source of income and overburdened with loans, many truck owners have now taken up some other jobs like daily wage labourers or fish vendor and few have even gone back to fields and have started cultivating again. Similarly, we have cases where some have opened bars or provision stores but due to the economic crisis, even these businesses have not helped them bounce back. We have hundreds of sad stories and becoming an NPA (Non-performing asset) before the government is the biggest problem as no one now wants to give us a loan even to restart our truck after repairs, Desai told Herald.
According to the secretary of the SGPTOA, Laxman Desai, when mining operations were on in full swing, people took loan after loan to add on to their fleet of trucks without any clue that the same loans would return to haunt them and eat up all their assets and valuables. South Goa Progressive Truck Owners Association has a total of 4,719 registered trucks. However, after mining was banned, 20 percent of trucks owned by the members of the association had to be scrapped. The remaining 80 percent of trucks which were lying without any business need too much of money for repairs. “Whenever we see our trucks getting corroded in parking zones, we can’t control our tears. Today, all of us have become NPAs for the banks who will not give us any more loans. When mining was in operation, these banks used to invite us but now they call us only to threaten and demand a settlement. The Government had allotted some kind of relief package for us, but even that booty didn’t reach us and as a result, there is huge discontent against the system and the truck owners’ outburst is justified,” Desai told Herald.
Recently, after the E-auction of ore by the state government, transport activities in the mining belt have begun albeit slowly. The truck owners who are already in debt have got the opportunity to transport ore. Taking personal loans from friends and family, they have made sure to get their trucks up and running to gear up for business.
However, as only one mining company in Sanvordem-Curchorem belt has begun its operations, it is majorly the truck owners from Sanvordem who were given preference for the operations at Sesa mines at Kapxem-Sanvordem while the truck owners from Curchorem were left disappointed once again.
“Lack of business despite the start of transportation of e-auctioned ore is a serious concern for us as only 40 percent of the total fleet have got business, that too with such minimum rates fixed by the government. However, at present our main concern is fast approaching deadline date of OTS (one time settlement scheme) which will end by December 3. This has led to fear in our minds as till date only 20 percent of truck owners have managed to settle their loans under OTS while 80 percent of truck owners are yet to clear their debts. We, therefore, request the state government to extend the OTS deadline till March 2016. Also, it would be better if the government takes over all our loans by engaging an EDC or some other agency . Once we start getting good business, we can start paying the government directly or else these banks will grab all that is left with us,” said Satyam Gaonkar, secretary SGPTOA.
“All these financial burdens lead to mental stress. Last year, our colleague Mohammad Shaikh from Sanvordem died due to trauma and if the situation continues, there may be many more such cases,” said a truck owner to Herald.
When the Herald correspondent visited areas of Sanvordem-Quepem and Curchorem to take stock of the present situation at Ground Zero, there were dissatisfied and disgruntled people who have been living in misery for far too long, though some said that the BJP government’s approach did some good, but they were still neck deep in problems and don’t see light at the end of this dusty tunnel. The uneasiness and unrest is evident all over.
“It is not only the truck owners but the biggest economic crisis that has affected almost all the people in the mining belt. From a provision store to garments shop and from bars and restaurants to spare part dealers, everyone is sustaining somehow or the other. In my case, there are several truck owners who are yet to pay my bills and I have to pay to the main dealer and this chain of loans has linked almost everyone in the areas under the mining belt” said Nilesh Desai, who has a spare part business.
Some still hope that things will get better, But how far the same would benefit the people is the biggest question for all as with the rates fixed per ton by the government, truck owners are not going to benefit the truck operators more and the fear is irregular business as the quantity of e-auctioned ore is limited. “We had demanded for about Rs 50/ton/km but we later agreed to Rs 20/ton/Km after the joint meeting with the Chief Minster and other officials and truckers’ association. Now more than the rates, we have a fear of irregular business as the operations are not full fledged,” said Prakash Raut Desai, president SGPTOA.
