A high-level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary GC Pati has taken decisions to regulate the mineral transportation through i3MS system. The mineral transport business used to be under the regulation of mafia in Keonjhar district for long. They had been exploiting truck owners, mining and industrial firms and earning black money to the tune of thousands of crores rupees.
To curb the monopolistic attitude of the truck owners, truck associations and transporters, the Government has decided that all mineral transportation has to be done through an e-tender system. The transporters or associations cannot determine the rate of the mineral transport price and only the vehicles which have been registered in i3MS of Steel and Mines Department would be allowed to transport minerals. A technical committee headed by the Collector will determine the transporting rate. Till date, office bearers in truck associations and transporting firms owned by mafia were determining the transport rates as per their whims and fancies. Trucks from other areas were not allowed to take loads from mines in Keonjhar district. The cream in transport business had given birth to several truck unions and business rivalry, creating serious law and order situations. There are about 15,000 truck owners in Keonjhar district and the transport industry is a multi-crore business here.
Mining and industry firms, which have been dictated by the mafia since years, increasing their production cost, have now heaved sigh of relief. They now want that the Government take all steps to enforce its decision at the field level. Truck owners expect that exploitation at different levels will come to an end after introduction of the new transport system. But in all likelihood, the new transport system will face strong resistance from the transport mafia and take some time to streamlining.