AITUC pledges support, IOC appeals
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 01 2013:
Whereas the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has pledged its support to the proposed cease work strike of the All Manipur Transporters' and Drivers' Forum (AMTDF) starting from July 2, officials of the IOC's Chingmeirong oil depot and some transporters held a meeting today and appealed to transporters registered with the depot to continue shipping fuel .
Speaking to media persons at Khuman Lampak Youth Hostel today, AITUC National General Secretary Debanand Chakraborty declared that AITUC would support the proposed agitation of AMTDF.
Demand for establishment of highway protection force is a legitimate one.
"Who is taking responsibility for all the killings and victimisation of transporters on the highway ?", Chakraborty questioned.
No preceding Governments paid any attention to the National Highway passing through Manipur and these highways were always kept highly politicised.
AITUC would submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh asking for fulfilment of all the demands of AMTDF at the earliest, Chakraborty said.
Urging for payment of compensation for all trucks vandalised during public agitation on highways and deployment of highway protection force, AMTDF has already announced to launch cease work strike from July 2 .
NH-53 Truck Owners' Association, All Manipur Inter-State Bus Association, Manipur Drivers' Welfare Association, All Manipur Tanker Drivers' Association and the Highway Truck Owners' Welfare organisation are constituent members of the forum.
AMTDF advisor Y Bhupenchandra claimed that those transport unions which opposed the forum's cease work strike through media have turned out to be unregistered bodies.
Written intimations pledging support to the AMTDF's agitation have been received from transport organisations based in Assam and Nagaland.
The Unemployed Local Truck Owners' Association, Imphal too has expressed solidarity to the proposed cease work strike, Bhupenchandra said.
Meanwhile, IOC officials held a meeting with key representatives of the All Manipur Petroleum Products Transporters Association today.
While acknowledging the demand for establishment of highway protection force as quite reasonable, officials of IOC's Chingmeirong depot maintained that the demand is something which the Government cannot fulfil within a short period.
In case the transporters must continue their strike until the demand is fulfilled, people of the State would certainly face a crisis of fuel shortage.
Highlighting such fall-out, the officials appealed to petroleum transporters to stay away from the strike in public interest.
Taking due note of the possibility of landslides on any part of the National Highways leading to and passing through Manipur being rainy season which would halt transportation of fuel oils, the representatives of the All Manipur Petroleum Products Transporters Association agreed to ask their members to go for ferrying fuel oils, informed a source.