Although the term of the executive body of the Keonjhar District Truck Owners’ Association (KDTOA) is over since a year, the committee is not in favour of holding fresh elections. On the other hand, collections from truck owners by allotment of loading slips, etc., are being misappropriated by some members as alleged by other members.
Even there is massive misuse of the association’s funds too. A KDTOA member, Rudra Narayan Mishra, had filed a case against the association in the High Court seeking cease of power of the executive body whose term had expired and action against various irregularities of the association on April 21, 2017. The court directed the district Collector to take appropriate action within 21 days.
The Collector, after hearing both parties, ordered the association’s secretary to issue loading slips to all members according to their serial numbers and also wrote o the IGR, Odisha to cancel the registration of the association if the association failed to conduct fresh elections soon. But the order of the Collector went unheeded by the committee, which, in its turn, went on an appeal against the Collector’s order in the High Court.
Another member, Sanjib Kumar Ghosh, also filed a case in the High Court against the association executive committee on January 2, 2018 in which the court declared that the term of the committee has ceased and cannot be extended. The Collector was again directed to intervene in the matter. The Collector in his letter No. 520 dated 27/02/2018 asked the Sub-Collector to take action after holding discussions with the concerned parties.
Since the transactions in the association are in lakhs of rupees, retaining a post in the executive body has meant good business and income, for which election for the association assumes much importance.