Shillong, Dec 6: The Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Drivers Association (MCTODA) on Saturday has decided to write to the state government to remind it of their commitment to raise the price of transportation of cement and clinkers from the present Rs. 7 per metric ton per km to Rs. 9 per metric ton per km.
Wanshwa Nongtdu spokesperson of the association said that on Monday they will send a reminder urging the Transport department to notify the new rates.
The MCTODA has expressed concern that on November 13, during a meeting with the government, it was decided that the new rates would be notified but in a subsequent meeting held on November 27, the cement companies expressed their inability to transport clinkers and cement with the new rates.
The spokesperson said that from December 1, even though the new rate has not been notified, the truckers of the state have started to send their vehicles to these cement plants to load clinkers and cement.
“Even though the truckers have started to carry cement, disappointment is written on their faces,” he said.
Nongtdu also clarified that the 120 trucks per day is not meant only for the members of the MCTODA but also for other truckers associations in Jaintia Hills.
He said that out of the 120 trucks the share of MCTODA is 40, but till date they are getting only about 12-15 per day.
Nongtdu said the MCTODA and representatives of the cement companies met on December 2 but discussed only cement companies allocating a daily quota of 120 local trucks for the transportation of cement and clinker.
However, the MCTODA said that even this assurance by the cement companies has not been fulfilled since till date they got only around 20 trucks per day.
According to Nongtdu, during the meeting the representatives of the cement companies informed that they were ready to go with the new rates as assured but the government has not yet notified them.
