Despite govt’s ban order, truck union calls the shots in Mansa

MANSA: Three months after chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh announced the disbanding of truck unions, operators in Mansa are facing problems with local unions refusing to allow transporters from other areas enter into the district.

With the notification of the law — Punjab goods carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelisation Rules), 2017 — any permit holder can pick up goods from any town or city within Punjab in the normal course of their business.

However, this runs counter to the interests of truck unions, who are losing business due to the move — . There were 134 truck unions in the state that had over 93,000 trucks; the new rule allows free movement of trucks without intervention of unions.

Members of truck unions in Mansa are now allegedly stopping trucks from other areas.

A Mansa-based operator has alleged that his sand-laden truck was waylaid in Sardulgarh by members ofthelocal truckunion and offloaded the sand in a local gurdwara.

“My driver was en route to our client with a sand-laden truck when union members stopped him and took away his vehicle. When I approached the Sardulgarh SHO, he told me I will be implicated in a criminal case for plying my truck outside Mansa,” said the truck operator, Sham Lal.

Lal, later, approached DSP Sardulgarh who ensured that the accused operators released his truck.

When he received his truck he had to spend around Rs 20,000 on repair. He claimed union members damaged the truck. Now, DSP (investigation) is heading a probe into the case.

“I am being pressured to strike a compromise,” Sham Lal has alleged.

‘NOT AN ISOLATED CASE’

This is not an isolated case of harassment meted out to individual operators after the dis- banding of truck union. Most truck operators allege that with pending payment of the transport charges, they have to obey the president of their union.

“Though the union has been disbanded by the government, we are bound to follow the so-called president of our union as our payment is still to be cleared by the government. The payment will be credited to the union president who will then clear our payment,” said another operator, who wished to stay anonymous.

EXTRA EXPENDITURE FORTRADERS

Even those who are availing the services of transporters have to bear extra expense as they have hire two transporters due to rivalry between two unions.

“If I have to get a sand-laden truck in Sardulgarh, I will have to hire two transporters; one who will drop the item at the outskirts of the town and the other will deliver it to the destination. The expenses add up. The government should seriously look into this problem,” said a trader from Sardulgarh sub-division in Mansa.

‘WILL OPPOSE ENTRY OF OPERATORS FROM OTHER AREAS’

Sardulgarh truck union president defended its members who had allegedly taken a truck into their possession.

“We will continue to oppose the entry of operators of other areas till the state government issues a notification cancelling the disbanding of truck unions,” he claimed.

ALL IS WELL, SAYS SSP

Mans aSS P Para mb ir Sing hP armar who has deputed DSP (detective) to look into the allegations of Sham Lal, denied that operators were facing any resistance due to inter-regional rivalry.

“There is no rivalry issue and operators are plying without any resistance. We have ensured that transportation doesn't get affected by the rivalry between different unions,” he said.