SHIMLA: The 67 days long stalemate between the truck operators union and cement companies is over. Chief Minister, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has intervened with both the sides have agreed on the freight rates.
Both the cement management companies and the Truck operators have settled upon the new rates.
Also Adani cement has declared that the company will resume production from Tuesday
The new rates are Rs 10.30 per kilometer per quintal for single axle and Rs 9.30 per kilometer per quintal for multi-axle.
The factory management has given its consent to resume cement production from tomorrow and truck operators have also agreed to transport at these rates.
Interacting with the media after the meeting, the Chief Minister said that due to the coordinated efforts of all, an acceptable solution to this matter has been possible.
He said that this dispute came to the fore only after five days of the state government assuming power and the cement factory management announced shutdown of cement factories.
Truck operators had gone on strike on December 16th 2022. Thereafter, the state government continued holding talks with truck operators and factory management.
Soon after Adani took over Darlaghat and Barmana factories, the management refused to provide freight at the old rates escalating the dispute.
Both the parties suffered the loss due to the deadlock, said the Chief Minister.
Besides economic loss to the State the truck operators, truck driver's and those involved in repair of vehicles and other works, local people, dhaba owners, etc. and thousands of families suffered from this, he added.
'Our Government also constituted a committee headed by the Industries Minister to solve the log jam and I was well in touch with the committee, the company management and the truck operators for immediately solving the issue" said Sukhu.
"We arrived on consensus, thereby protecting the interests of both the truck operator Unions and the management as well.
Besides welfare of all others who were being directly or indirectly hit by the stalemate", said Sukhu, adding that the state government also didn't want the factory management to suffer the loss.
"We are here to promote the industries in the State, the industries should be promoted and we are committed to provide them a favourable environment", said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister said that the Principal Secretary, Industries and other officers would device chalk out a formula for matters related to the annual increase in freight rates.
Apart from this, instructions have been given to the Deputy Commissioners of Solan and Bilaspur to solve the other problems of truck operators.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthi, Principal Advisor (Media) to the Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan, President of Bilaspur Truck Operators Union Rakesh Thakur and other representatives and Solan District President Jaidev Kaundal and his representatives attended the meeting. Manoj Jindal and Sanjay Vashisht attended the meeting on behalf of Adani Group.
Principal Secretary RD Nazeem, Director Transport, Anupam Kashyap, Director Food and Civil Supplies, KC Chaman, Deputy Commissioner Bilaspur, Pankaj Rai and other senior officers also attended the meeting.
