Solan: Excess trucks engaged with two cement plants, says Adani Group
Ambika Sharma
Solan, January 20
The Adani group management has said that the fleet of trucks engaged with Ambuja Cements Limited (ACL), Darlaghat, and ACC Ltd, Barmana in Bilaspur, is in excess of the number required. It claims that the annual average distance travelled by trucks engaged with the two plants is one-fourth of the national average.
In a communication to the chairman of the Permanent Committee, which is handling the freight issue, Ajay Kapoor, CEO, Adani Group, today stated that trucks engaged with the cement plants of the Adani Group in other states ply about 80,000 km to one lakh km every year while in Himachal, they cover merely one-fourth that distance. This adds to freight and operational cost.
The Adani Group management has offered to enhance the average distance covered from 40,000 km a year to 50,000 km with an incremental increase of 5,000 km every year.
As against the requirement of 550 trucks, there are 3,311 multi-axle trucks engaged with the two units. The Adani Group management has proposed that excess trucks can be phased out in the next three years.
Ramkrishan Sharma, former president of a transport society, said that in October 2009, the management of ACL, Darlaghat, had asked them to buy 900 multi-axle trucks for transportation of clinkers from the newly setup plant at Rauri in Darlaghat. These trucks were in addition to those already operating at the first plant at Suli village in Darlaghat. As much as 7,000 metric tonnes per day of clinker produced at the Rauri plant was to be transported to grinding units at Nalagarh and Ropar.
Truckers were promised 15 trips in a month with 240 metric tonnes of load. They were explained the benefits of multi-axle trucks as their operational cost was less than rigid-axle trucks. This was supposed to enhance the profitability of the transporters
Meanwhile, at a meeting with Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan in Shimla today, truckers agreed to accept the freight rate that was likely to be notified by the Permanent Committee while the Adani Group management said that it would convey its decision later.
The truckers demanded that the report of freight rates prepared by the Himachal Consultancy Organisation (HIMCON) be made public at the earliest. As many as 2,797 trucks are engaged with the ACL, Darlaghat, and about 3,500 trucks work with the ACC plant at Barmana.
The minister stressed early resumption of the plants as the state government was incurring revenue loss worth crores of rupees. He said that the Adani Group management had been conveyed the government’s displeasure for suddenly closing the two plants on December 15. Chauhan added that the outcome of the meeting would be conveyed to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who would take a decision on the issue.
Truckers want HIMCON report made public
- At a meeting with Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, truckers urged him that HIMCON report on freight rates be made public
- HIMCON has worked out a freight rate of about Rs 9 per tonne per km
- The Adani Group management has declared a freight rate of Rs 6 per tonne per km as against the prevailing rates of Rs 10.58 per tonne per km at the Darlaghat plant and Rs 11.41 per tonne per at Barmana, Bilaspur
