Pay us Rs. 7 per MT per km or face stern agitation from 1 November: truckers to cement plants

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 25, 2021

Peeved with the non-implementation of the new rate of transportation of goods by the cement plants in East Jaintia Hills District, the Jaintia Hills Trucks Owners Association (JHTOA) an apex body of truckers of Jaintia Hills Region on Monday served one week ultimatum to the Jaintia Hills Cement Manufacturing Association (JHCMA) else face stern agitation from 1^st November, 2021.

Addressing media persons at the conference hall of Infinity Restaurant, Jowai, JHTOA President Nidamon Chulet informed that they held a meeting with members of the Jaintia Hills Cement Manufacturing Association (JHCMA) was held at Byndihati, East Jaintia Hills District on Monday’s morning, where they expressed their anger to them over the non-implementation of the new rate of transportation of goods as notified on January 2020 by the Transport Department of the Meghalaya Government till date.

He also said that PK Pareek who is the President of the JHCMA tried to justify their inability of paying the new rate of transportation of goods of Rs. 7 per metric tonnes per kilometre but “we stick to our demands and serve them one week time for paying us with the new rates for transporting their products and we also told them to their face that if they do not give us what is due to us then we will embark on the path of agitation.”

The new rate of transportation of goods as notified by the Transport Department is actually Rs. 9 metric tonnes per kilometre but the rate was reduced to Rs. 7 per metric tonnes per kilometre after a tripartite meeting held last year, the JHTOA supremo asserted.

Another issue of concern afflicting the JHTOA is the recent purchase of 300 trucks by M/s Star Cement Limited, East Jaintia Hills District as presently their members’ trucks are getting transportation loads only once a week, Publicity secretary Nehemeyah Tyngkan demanded that the cement plants should rectify the same at the earliest by giving more transportation loads to them.