Rice to Sikkim halts

NIRMAL MANGAR
Gangtok, Aug. 7: Rice from Bengal has not gone to Sikkim for a week because truck drivers have refused to ply their vehicles if the Food Corporation Of India (FCI) does not relax their fines and the truck owners don’t raise their salary.

Yesterday, the FCI, its contractors and truckers were to meet at the food corporation’s office in New Jalpaiguri but the contractor of the FCI failed to turn up so the meeting did not take place.

“The contractor who was summoned to listen to the problems of the drivers and the truck owners did not turn up,” said Uttam Rai, the president of the drivers’ association.

Around 40 trucks from the FCI godown in New Jalpaiguri carry 40 quintals of rice each to two godowns of the FCI located in Sikkim everyday. One godown is at Rangpo and another is at Jorethang in South Sikkim.

The Janmukti Himalaya National Highway Drivers’ Association called the strike a week back demanding a hike in their pay and seeking an exemption for loss of rice of up to 50kg.

Some quantity of rice is lost on every trip a truck makes because of leaking sacks.

“We have to face the harassment of FCI officials who penalise us. For every kg of rice lost, the truck owner has to pay Rs 37 at the food godowns in Sikkim. The truck owners then deduct the same amount from our pay,” Rai said.

“The salary of the drivers on an average is Rs 3,500, not sufficient to run a family. We demand the truck owners to increase the salary up to Rs 9000” a truck driver said.

“We (truck owners) have decided to increase the salary of the driver to Rs 4,500,” said Madan Chhetri, the president of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Truck Owners’ Association.

“We have a buffer stock for one month in 27 godowns of the state,”said Jemima Pradhan, secretary of the food and civil supplies department.