Stalemate Ends. Cement Companies & Truck Unions agree on new freight rates

Shimla : The 67 days stalemate between the truck operators union and cement companies has finally ended with the intervention of the Chief Minister, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who from the day one made concerted efforts to get the impasse solved and protect the interests of its people.

In a meeting held here today, chaired by the Chief Minister, both the sides have agreed on the freight rates.Both the cement management companies and the Truck operators have settled upon the new rates which will be 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.Talking informally 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 to stop the production.Truck operators had gone on strike on December 16th 2022. Thereafter, the state government continued holding talks with truck operators and factory management.

After the change of ownership of the cement factories located at Darlaghat and Barmana, the management refuted to provide freight at the old rates and from here the dispute escalated.Both the parties suffered the loss due to the deadlock, said the Chief Minister, adding further that despite 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.

‘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 the Sh. 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 Sh. 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.