‘Goonda tax’ back to haunt Bathinda refinery truckers

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Bathinda, July 11

“Goonda tax” is back to haunt transporters engaged with Guru Gobind Singh Refinery here. The transporters have lodged a complaint with the SSP in this regard.

Some transporters have opened an office near the refinery under the banner of the local truck operators (Talwandi Sabo halqa). About 20 refinery transporters have alleged that their drivers are facing threats from persons linked with the local transport union, who are preventing the loading of vehicles at various locations. They have also given two mobile numbers from which the alleged threat calls were received.

They said their business operations were being disrupted and an unsafe working environment was being created for the employees. “Our drivers and staff are being constantly intimidated and threatened, which is unacceptable,” they stated, adding that, “We want the police to look into the matter and take action against those responsible for these illegal activities.”

However, refuting the allegations, the local transporters claimed that they had only called them to enquire if they needed any business since they had trucks. The transporters’ syndicate was not allowing local transporters to get any work from the refinery, they claimed. “When we enquire about work, they raise allegations of ‘goonda’ tax,” they alleged.

Prof Baljinder Kaur, Talwandi Sabo MLA, posted on Facebook: “My continuous struggle for the last seven years has been to expose the way refinery officials and the transport mafia, forming a group, have been exploiting people in the region. Since the establishment of the refinery, these officials and outside transporters have been paying very low wages to the local small transporters, thereby exploiting them. Those with fewer than 100 trucks were given work meant for 500 trucks. I want the unfair tenders held by large transporters, in collusion with the refinery, to be cancelled, and a direct tender be issued for 2,000 trucks, providing employment to 2,000 families from the Talwandi Sabo area who are suffering due to diseases caused by the nearby refinery.”

“Even now, many large outside transporters are filing false complaints in collaboration with refinery officials,” she added.

Bathinda SSP Deepak Pareek said the complaint lodged by the transporters had been marked to the DSP, who would summon all parties.