E-Paper
Transporters damage trucks outside Bathinda refinery
The officials of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery have complained to district administration regarding the work getting affected due to tussle between transporters, despite the complaint two groups of transporters clashed outside the refinery on Thursday night.
The officials of Guru Gobind Singh Refinery have complained to district administration regarding the work getting affected due to tussle between transporters, despite the complaint two groups of transporters clashed outside the refinery on Thursday night.
The clash ensued between the transporters at about 9 pm during which some persons allegedly damaged trucks in the parking outside the refinery. Many of the transporters ran away with their vehicles during the clash. Keeping in view the tense situation police force was rushed to the spot.
“A scuffle ensued between some transporters but there is no report of damage to trucks,” said Bathinda, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Swapan Sharma even after the photos of damaged trucks have surfaced.
Meanwhile, a tussle is going between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) backed Rama Mandi Truck Union and transporters being allotted the work of transporting Sulphar, Pet Coke and Polypropylene (PP) from refinery, which is to be ferried in open body trucks. The union is demanding preference in work over other transporters.
It is worth mentioning that officials of refinery in a complaint to district administration last month requested to register a case against the Rama Mandi Truck Union for allegedly threatening transporters and not allowing them to enter the refinery premises to lift the petroleum products.
After the complaint, the truck union members had blocked all roads leading to refinery on July 21 thereby bringing movement of all vehicles to standstill and police had to intervene.
“A firm of a Talwandi Sabo Truck union leader backed by SAD wants to capture transportation business so they are resorting to arm-twisting by attacking transporters,” said a transporter on the condition of anonymity.
President of Rama Mandi Truck Union Rampal Malkana denied any role of union members in the clash and said it was a fight between some transporters.
“Union only wants refinery to give them preference in ferrying the products,” said Malkana.
“A complaint from refinery officials and another from a private transporter was received on Thursday and Friday respectively, and SSP has been directed to deploy police force there,” said Bathinda deputy commissioner Basant Garg.
SAD’s Talwandi Sabo MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, however, said that local transporters want work of ferrying these products in their trucks. “The transporters from outside Punjab are being preferred instead of local transporters, which defies the purpose of refinery here,” he said.
A refinery official said that transportation work is being affected; and due to shortage of space to store the products they might have to reduce the production.
The Guru Gobind Singh Refinery is owned by Hindustan Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Mittal Energy Investment Private Limited, Singapore.
The SAD men are threatening local transporters and collecting goonda tax of Rs 500 per truck. The administration should intervene otherwise AAP with transporters will resort to protests,” said AAP candidate Talwandi Sabo Baljinder Kaur.
“No goonda tax is being collected rather local transporters want work of ferrying these products in their trucks,” said SAD MLA Sidhu.
