Ore-transporting truck set on fire as idle truck owners block the road
VISHANT VAZE, BICHOLIM | 04 December 2015 23:09 IST
The mining agitation of idle mining-truck owners took an ugly turn today as one of the trucks transporting the iron ore of Sesa Sterile was set on fire by ‘unknown persons’ at Surla.
The agitation also became little violent when truck owners tried to stop a jeep of Sesa Sterile officers and the police resorted to mild lathicharge, injuring one agitator.
While the agitating truck owners have expressed ignorance over who set the truck on fire, the police are also in dark over the issue.
The local idle truck owners have opposed Sesa Sterile using ‘outside trucks’ to transport the auctioned iron ore.
They are insisting that trucks of locals be used for transporting, even at lower rates.
Under the banner of All Goa Truck Association, around 300 trucks were lined up at Pale-Kothambi junction on old Bombay road the whole day today.
The road blockade is expected to continue even tomorrow, prohibiting Sesa Sterile from transporting the iron or from Kodli mine to Amona jetty.
The truck was set on fire at Surla while returning after unloading the ore at Amona jetty, causing a loss of around Rs six lakh, according to the Fire Brigade.
The incident took place at around 3 pm while the negotiation efforts of the authorities with the AGTA failed to accrue any result.
The meeting was held in the chamber of deputy collector Mahadev Arondekar at the initiative of Bicholim Mamlatdar along with the truck owners and Sesa Sterile officers.
While denying any involvement in setting the truck on fire, AGTA president Nilkanth Gawas said a short circuit could also be the cause of it.
The Bicholim police however have registered an offence against unknown persons.
