Transporters cast slur
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 30 2012:
Huge disparity in the allotment of food grains for shipment on the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam routes has led the Manipur Truck Owners' Welfare Association (MTOWA) to petition the State's Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAF&PD) Minister to initiate appropriate corrective measures at the earliest.
Alleging malpractices by the Food Corporation of India (dimapur) General Manager (Region), the transport Association highlighted that M/s WI Enterprises and M/s MTOWA are the transport contractors of FCI for FSD Dimapur to FSD Sangaiprou and FSD Jiribam to FSD Sangaiprou respectively.
It is said that the GM (Region) FCI, regional Office (Nagaland & Manipur) namely Amenla T Sato had issued road movement programme for June 2012 allocating 7500 metric tonne of rice, 2000 MT wheat and 1500 MT sugar to M/s WI Enterprises for shipping the total quantity of 11,000 MT food grains/items from dimapur to sangaiprou.
The same order assigned M/s MTOWA, the transport contractor from Jiribam to Sangaiprou, for transportation of 3000 MT rice and 450 MT wheat, maintained the Association in its memorandum to the CAF &PD Minister.
Pointing out the difference of 7550 MT out of the total allocation of food items to the two transport contractors, the representation also explained that in terms of number of trucks, the road movement programme for M/s WI Enterprises is equivalent to 1221 trucks compared to only 377 trucks under MTOWA.
The huge disparity in allocating the road movement programme is due to collusion of the GM, Dimapur FCI with some elements to not only discredit the MTOWA but is also against the public interest, construed the Association, who also conveyed that MTOWA is a transport contractor serving the entire population of Manipur on no profit or no loss basis in the interest of the public.
Recounting numerous incidents of drivers getting killed for non compliance to diktats of armed elements who have virtually made the Imphal-Dimapur section NH-39 the safest place for extortion and other unlawful activities, MTOWA lamented that efforts of the truckers under the Association to sustain food item transportation along the Imphal-Jiribam route has been undermined by the act of indiscretion by the GM, Dimapur.
Reminding that it was MTOWA that took up the herculean task of opening the Imphal-Jiribam road during the infamous economic blockade imposed by several organisations, the Association representation also maintained that when no one came forward to ply their vehicles for transportation of goods on NH-37 (then NH-53) MTOWA with the help of the Government took the bold steps of plying on the much-neglected Imphal-Jiribam road.
With the economic blockade most severe and effective for over 100 days along the Imphal-Dimapur route, the MTOWA initiative had undoubtedly sustained transportation of food grains and other essential items through the Imphal-Jiribam line thereby mitigating inconveniences faced by the people to a certain extent, the Association said.
Meanwhile, an Association representative speaking to The Sangai Express pointed out that even though normalcy has been restored transporter operators are reluctant to resume plying on the Imphal-Dimapur route for security and safety of both the drivers and the goods cannot be guaranteed as the said route is still being controlled by anti-social elements.
describing the Dimapur GM's work programme as an attempt to demoralise the transport operators and benefit certain groups with vested interest, the representative said Government of Manipur's provision for security coverage to the truckers while plying on the Imphal-Jiribam route for atleast 5/6 times in a month would be reduced to futility as the allotment to MTOWA would exhaust in only two trips in a month.
On behalf of the Association, the representative fervently appealed to the CAF&PD Minister for immediate perusal and necessary action at the earliest in the interest of the general public.
Comment
