Transporters to stay off NH-2 today
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 08 2013:
To protest alleged killing of truck driver Ningombam Gobardhon at Kohima Town, commercial vehicles, including passenger carriers, would cease service on the Imphal-Dimapur section of National Highway-2 (39) from 6 am till 6 pm tomorrow, declared All Manipur Drivers and Motor Workers' Union.
Gobardhon, who was reportedly returning here after uploading sugar from Dimapur godown of FCI, was found dead yesterday inside his truck (MN01/5835) near the Martyrs' park of Naga Students' Federation in the heart of Kohima.
Whereabouts of his assistant driver remain unknown.
Speaking to newspersons at its MG Avenue office today, Union general secretary H Kulamani strongly suspected involvement of looters in the gruesome murder of Gobardhon, and informed that the victim's body was discovered by Nagaland police personnel tucked inside the box of the truck seat when they enquired about the loaded vehicle remaining static on the roadside.
He further claimed that Nagaland police have recovered 190 bags of sugar, looted from the truck, from a Kohima shop.
Pointing out that since 2010, Transporters and drivers' Council (TDC) had asked truckers not to ply on the Imphal-Dimapur route, Kulamani regretted that yet another member of the driver community lost his life due to selfish and rogue truck owners.
Demanding that the culprits involved in the criminal act be handed over to the Government of Manipur, the general secretary also recounted out of seven trucks hijacked with the drivers by miscreants/looters on the same national highway stretch till date this year, two drivers have been released while one managed to escaped from the clutches of the captors.
Appealing to the driver community to join a condolence meeting in honour of Gobardhon at Mantripukhri tomorrow, he also urged all commercial vehicles, including passenger carriers and private water tankers to cease service on the Imphal-Dimapur road till completion of the deceased driver's last rites.
TDC general secretary Ng Haridas, who was also present at the media briefing iterated that the Council decided against plying on the Imphal-Dimapur route from 2010 onwards and opted for the Imphal-Jiribam route, as a number of drivers were either slain or severely assaulted at an alarming rate along the former route.
Opining that the killing o Gobardhon is yet another grim reminder that drivers are never safe on the Imphal-Dimapur route, he also strongly condemned selfish truck owners who continue to defy the TDC call and endanger drivers' life.
Insisting that the truck owner concerned should provide adequate financial compensation to Gobardhon's family, Haridas reiterated TDC's appeal to ply on the Imphal-Jiri.
Further pointing out that hiring charge of vehicles utilised for the 2012 general election has not yet been paid to the respective owners, the Council general secretary also appealed to truck owners not to assign drivers or provide vehicles for the upcoming Nagaland State assembly election.