In a major development, Vedanta has agreed to hand over mineral transportation work in Mayem Pilgaon to local truck operators after facing strong opposition from truck owners .
The decision follows an eight-day halt in mineral transport, which is now set to resume on Monday on a trial basis for the next ten days.
The breakthrough came after a meeting involving Vedanta representatives, the Truck Owners’ Association, and local MLAs Premendra Shet (Mayem) and Chandrakant Shet (Bicholim).
According to a press release from Vedanta, the company will assess the performance of local truck owners over the trial period before making a final decision on their long-term involvement.
The protest erupted when Vedanta outsourced mineral transportation to an external contractor using 12-wheeler trucks, sidelining local truckers who have maintained their vehicles for over a decade despite a lack of work.
The truck owners’ association argued that this move deprived them of employment, forcing them to intervene and halt transportation operations.
MLAs Mediate in Deadlock
Mayem MLA Premendra Shet, who played a key role in brokering the resolution, confirmed that for the next ten days, only local truck drivers would handle mineral transport.
Truckers Demand Fair Opportunity
Truckers have expressed frustration over Vedanta’s preference for outsourcing transportation instead of utilizing local vehicles. Many have invested heavily in maintenance costs over the years but have been left without work.
Truck Owners’ Association President Satish Gaonkar criticized the company’s suggestion that local truckers invest in larger 12-wheeler trucks.
If we were to purchase a 12-wheeler heavy-duty truck, we would need to spend ₹65 lakh after taxes and other costs. This is not feasible for us, especially when we have maintained our six-wheeler trucks for twelve years without work. It is clear that the company wants to sideline us in favor of an external contractor, but we will not allow that to happen
Satish Gaonkar - President, Truck Owners’ Association
The truckers’ association has assured that local transporters are capable of handling any volume of mineral transport.
The situation remains tense, but all parties have agreed to reconvene after the ten-day trial period to evaluate the performance of local truckers and decide on the next steps.