SHIMLA:  Brand Adani Cement and  the Truckers Unions of Barmana and Darlaghat are trying all tricks of trade to pressurize the Sukhvinder Sing government to support their respective stands.  The standoff is getting murkier as Baddi-Barotiwala Industries Association(BBNIA) has also thrown its weight behind Adani group.   

Adani cement has enjoyed the support of the BBIA  as the latter has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, demanding the support for the industries in Himachal Pradesh.

President of BBIA Rajendra Guleria  has urge the state government to solve the festering  issue of transportation between the cement companies and the truck operators’ union of Darlaghat and Barmana at the earliest.

BBNIA charged that the truckers operate like a cartel in the state, a practice, which is no where to be found in India and world at large in the modern era.

The government should end this and industries right to choose the transporters should be put in place for sound industrial development in Himachal, BBNIA pleaded.   

On the other hand, the truck operators unions plead that the Adani cement companies  are morally bound to ply the  trucks of transporters of the Darlaghat and Barmana under its social corporate responsibility(CSR).

The corporates are running the cement plants in their territory and they have sacrificed their land to the  cement plants.

They  have been bearing the brunt of pollution from the plants as well over the decades.

The most of the families bought trucks to be deployed in the factories to make their both ends meet. 

The company's  plea that Adani should be allowed to hire trucks from outside is not acceptable as it would end the sources of livelihoods of locals, transporters pointed out.  

Adani cement should not run away from its CSR as mineral resources belong to locals, who now run these trucks to keep their economy running, they pleaded.

As there has been no headway on negotiations between the Adani Group companies and the Truckers Unions, Adani Cement has decided to relocate several staff of Darlaghat and Gagal plant in Himanchal Pradesh to other locations for their well-being.

Adani Cement company issued a statement saying that due to the lingering impact of two plants shutdown in Himachal Pradesh, more than 85 employees of Darlaghat and 58 of Gagal units are being relocated to its nearby sister plants in the Northern Region, company claimed.

The planned relocation of these employees will come into effect immediately to the three grinding plants (Ropar, Bhatinda and Nalagarh), company said.

People from operational areas such as production, maintenance and quality are being redeployed to different locations. 

Company said Darlaghat and Gagal Units of Adani Cement had to suspend operations under compelling circumstances.

It was due to the increasing operational costs of Cement/Clinker, mainly led by the high transportation cost of Raw Materials and Finished Products, company said. 

Company claimed that it is seeking cooperation from all stakeholders including transport unions to resolve these issues amicably.

Rajinder Guleria said the industries need conducive atmosphere and end of the cartelization of transportation that has made the cement plants enviable.

The transportation cost comes to 40 per cent which is huge and many industries had also shut down the business due to this, claimed BBNIA.

The continuing standoff has become a big challenge for the Sukhu government to resolve the issue  as early as possible as the opposition BJP could play up the matter as it suits it politically. 

if the standoff continues and industrial environment vitiates, it could sip the energy of the government, which otherwise, could have gone into the pursuits of governance and delivery of the services to the people.