Bauxite transporters complain of partiality towards local truck-owners: Margaon

On Thursday, transportation of bauxite ore from the Naqueri plateau was disrupted as other ore transporters form Quepem, Salcete and Mormugao complained that there was a preferential treatment given to the local Fatorpa-Naqueri belt transporters, depriving the transporters from outside.

The transporters from these three talukas insisted that they have seen distinct biasedness towards the local truck-owners as opposed to the outside owners when it came to transporting ores. They even said that the payment differed between the two and that the local people received better payments which should not be the case in democratic set up.

Ulhas Desai, a truck owner from Cuncolim said that the truck selection should be on a rotational basis instead of other external factors like the local status.

The truck owner, along with the Fatorpa Sarpanch, Sanzil D’Costa got in touch with the Manager of the mine and also submitted a memorandum demanding that a fixed rating system should be initiated keeping with government rates and that the transportation of ores should be assigned on a first come first serve basis.