Faridkot
A day after Kotkapura police booked about 7 persons from the local truck union, hundreds of the truck operators on Thursday morning jammed the main state cross roads, lightan wala chowk at Kotkapura for about 5 hours.
The truckers parked a large number of the trucks on the Moga road leading to a traffic jam by blocking it at lightan wala chowk alleging that the contractor who had won the tendering to lift the paddy from market was hiring tractor trolley to transport the loads.
“The tractor trolley can not be used as commercial vehicles as they are meant for agricultural purposes. But the contractor wants to hire tractor trolleys at lower prices depriving the truckers of their livelihood. The truck operators have to pay for permits, road taxes besides others and transport goods under the conditions of the transport department. They are also ready to transport the paddy at reasonable prices, but still nobody hears us,” said a truck operator speaking to the reporters.
He further alleged that there is a gap between the payment made to the contractor and payment made to the tractor trolleys and trucks which is much lower and alleged that the contractor wants to mint more money as profit.
It is pertinent to mention that the Kotkapura police had booked booked four persons by name, Dimple Ghuliani, Lakhjeet Singh,Kuldeeep Kakria and Surinder Singh besides three unidentified on the complaint of Harmanpreet Singh and others, drivers of the tractors.
The case had been registered under sections 341(wrongful restraint),382,(Theft with an intention to murder)506(criminal conspiracy),148 and 149(unlawful assembly,rioting) of IPC.
As per the complaint to the police, about seven persons from the local truck union stopped 4 tractors and one truck loaded with paddy and basmati related to three commission agents in Kotkapura.
“These persons forced the drivers of the vehicles and drove them to the local truck union. They also assaulted us,” the complainant said.
On the other hand, the commission agents said that it is a violation of rules by the truck operators as they stopped our private vehicles.
They alleged that the truck operators want to charge more which is unjustified.
“The action of the truck operators is in violation of law, and unjustified because some armed men from the union stopped four tractors and one truck which were loaded with the paddy and basmati and had to transport the goods to the local rice mills. They took the law into their hands and so a case against them has been registered in this regard.It is not tolerable for us,” said Ashok Kumar Goel, president of the ahartia association Kotkapura.
“We had also met the local leadership in this regard at Chandigarh and they had assured us that you would not face any problem during the current season. But trauckers had been harassing us on and off and on Wednesday, they reported to the force which led to the closure of the market. All the farmers, labour and commission agents had to suffer because of it,,” Goel alleged.
He also said that they would not tolerate the stopping of lifting in future and act as per law.
The truck operators lifted their Dharna at noon after some reassurance of fair investigation of the matter.