A team of the Bandhabahal Maa Samalei Truck Owners Association handed over a memorandum to MCl CMD AK Jha and GM (Sales) Rajesh Mishra urging them to engage their trucks in road-sale coal transportation so that livelihood source of truckers, drivers and helpers can be protected.
More than 700 members of the association and families of more than 1,500 drivers and helpers are spending sleepless as road-sale coal transportation has been stopped for the last four months. Besides, truck owners are under tension to repay the bank loan, the team apprised the MCl officials.
Earlier on 18 July, the truck owners had blocked the office of lakhanpur Mines Project Officer when the latter assured to solve the problem by July 22. But no step has been taken, lamented they.
They threatened that truckers would be compelled to take to the streets in coming days if the MCl management fails to sort out their genuine demands soon.
Two years back, as per mutual agreement between the mines management and truck owners, 30 per cent coal has to be transported by road as against 70 per cent by rail. But now the management is transporting maximum quantity of coal. While coal transportation was done by 10/12 racks earlier, now it has increased upto 15 racks by rail. When 1,000 to 1,200 trucks were being engaged in road-sale coal transportation earlier, now it has come down to 200/300 trucks.
The team comprising president Akhila Swain, general secretary Santosh Mohanty, vice-president Sanjay Behera and joint secretaries Ranjan Senapati and Debendra Nanda and 30 truck owners discussed their problems with the CMD on Wednesday.
Jha has assured to arrive at a solution within seven days, said general secretary Mohanty.