Row over transporting produce: Farmers meet minister

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 20

Alleging undue pressure by truck operators’ union, farmers of the Balh valley today gathered outside the house of Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhari and sought his intervention in resolving the dispute between them and truck operators.

Tension gripped the area after the agitated farmers assembled in front of the minister’s house. Members of the truck operators also reached there and both engaged in a verbal duel. Heavy police force was deployed throughout the day to prevent any untoward incident.

Farmers alleged that the truck operators’ union was forcing them to transport agriculture produce in their vehicles, while businessmen from outside the district were coming directly to them to purchase their produce and paying them a good price.

“The local truck operators are threatening businessmen not to do so and are charging heavy amount from them to allow them to transport the produce in carrier vehicles from outside the district,” they said.

A few days ago, the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, had resolved this issue, but yesterday members of the truck operators union “manhandled” businessmen, who had arrived there to purchase farmers’ produce. This irked the farmers.

However, truck operators’ union president Ajay said: “We just urged the farmers to transport their produce in local vehicles as the livelihood of truck operators depends on local agriculture produce”.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sanjiv Dhiman said the matter had been solved amicably between the two.

ASP Kulbhushan Verma said on the complaint of the farmers, the police had registered a case in this regard.