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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Thursday asked the Congress-led Punjab Government to hold talks with the truck operators, who boycotted the tender process for transportation of wheat crop, to end the stalemate.
Accusing the state government of “snatching” truckers’ livelihood, the former Deputy Chief Minister lashed out at the Congress Government for not completing award of tenders for crop transportation despite wheat procurement began on April 1.
“It was shocking that despite start of wheat purchase on April 1, the government has still not completed the process of awarding tenders for transportation of procured wheat to appropriate godowns,” said Sukhbir.
He asked the government to hold talks with the truck unions and settle the “imbroglio” quickly. “It was unfortunate that the government was using coercive methods to force the truckers to toe its dictatorial line,” he alleged.
While this was affecting the livelihood of thousands of truckers with more than 70,000 trucks being used for this purpose, it would also affect farmers as failure to lift wheat from mandis would clog them and delay the procurement process, he noted.
“At least 80 percent of the 70,000 odd trucks used to transport wheat and paddy during the biannual procurement season are self owned,” he said.
Alleging that the government had done “nothing” for farmers and Dalits and not created any new jobs for youth, Sukhbir said that it was now bent on “snatching” the livelihood of those who were gainfully employed in the trucking business.
“Simultaneously, the government is looking the other way while its leaders manipulate labour contracts and get them awarded to their favourites at steep rates due to extraneous reasons. This is not how governments work. We condemn this and extend our whole-hearted support to truckers as well as labourers who have been affected by the Congress’ high-handedness,” he said.
THE ISSUE
The truck operators under the banner of All Punjab Truck Operators’ Union had boycotted the tender process for the transportation of wheat crop. They had been at the loggerheads with the state government for offering “lower” rates for transportation of crop from mandis to godowns.
However, some truck unions in districts like Patiala, Barnala and Sangrur are still adamant while many have accepted the new rates.
In view of the boycott by truckers, the state government gave permission to commission agents (arhtiyas) for transportation of wheat for smooth purchase of food grain.
A day before, the state government had said that it has finalized the tendering process of 340 clusters out of total 413 in the state for wheat transportation, while asserting that the state was fully geared up to accomplish this gigantic task of wheat lifting despite boycott by various truck unions across the state.
In Punjab, the largest contributor to public distribution system, the procurement is set to pick by the next week with the state government targeting to procure 130 lakh tonnes.
‘Financially-starved’ Punjab government has slashed transportation charges to avoid additional expense of Rs 150-170 crore that it has been funding in the past for food grain procurement for central public distribution system.
Cost of grain procurement is exorbitant in Punjab compared to all other states and it is often questioned by the Centre.
During the previous year, Punjab government paid Rs 175 crore for transportation over and above Rs 350 crore funded by the Food Corporation of India, making it the “only state where the transportation charges supersedes the allocated budget”. |
