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Himachal govt consultant to submit new freight rate blueprint tomorrow
Himachal Consultancy Organization (HIMCON), which has been roped-in by the state government to figure out the transportation cost, has worked out new freight rates and will submit its report to the government subcommittee on Monday.
Amidst the standoff between truckers and the Adani group after the closure of two cement plants in Darlaghat and Barman, the government is working on new freight rates for truck unions to end the impasse.
Himachal Consultancy Organization (HIMCON), which has been roped-in by the state government to figure out the transportation cost, has worked out new freight rates and will submit its report to the government subcommittee on Monday.
Himachal Pradesh government had constituted a subcommittee of officers comprising the Director of Industries, Director of Transport and Director of Food and Civil supplies to break the impasse.
The subcommittee had hired HIMCON to work out the cost of the transportation in accordance with different types of trucks being used for the transportation of the cement. HIMCON will submit its report to the subcommittee on Monday and the cost worked out with the company will be put forth infront of both the unions and the cement plant owners, said Director Industries Rakesh Kumar Prajapati .
At present, the transportation rate per quintal of cement is ₹10.58 per kilometre in hilly areas and ₹5.38 in the plains. The truck unions and company officials have held several rounds of the meeting after the impasse, but both have voiced “substantive” differences. The company had initially offered ₹6 for transportation of cement in the hills. The state government is keen that the cement company brings down the cost of cement in Himachal. The transportation cost of cement is more in Barmana in Bilaspur at ₹ 11. 20 paisa.
Meanwhile, the truck unions have begun to mobilise the affected villages surrounding the plants for the holding a mahapanchayt to draw its further strategy.
In the wake of the closure of the Ambuja plant, a massive movement in Darlaghat of Solan is on the cards. Truck operators are preparing to hold a mahapanchayat. The committee constituted by the government will submit its report on January 7. If there is no positive result, the truck operators will hold a mahapanchayat until the committee submits its report. The operators have already indicated that their plans are afoot to mobilise 30,000 people from around 56 panchayats of Arki.
Although there have been many agitations regarding the cement plant in the past as well, but no mahapanchayat has ever been held in the area. The next decision will be taken only with the consent of the people in the mahapanchayat.
Ramkishan Sharma, former head of the Land Loser Cooperative Society, said mahapanchayat will be held in Darlaghat. In this, all the operators related to Ambuja Cement, dhaba operators, traders, spare parts shopkeepers, mechanics, Yuvak and Mahila Mandal, truck operators of Barmana and people falling under Zila Parishad wards of Dumehar, Darlaghat, Kunihar and Dhundan will be called. He said that it has been 23 days since the closure of the cement plant.
