As the tussle between the truckers in Khrew area in Pulwama district has hampered the trade of cement in the Valley, traders are accusing the administration for failing to act.The tussle started 41 days ago after truckers from Halqa Nagandar, amalgam of a few villages, wanted a separate Alkhudam union. But the existing union-Zaffron truck union- is refusing the truckers to allow another union.“If we allow a separate union to some truckers, it will become a precedent and every villages will demand a truck union here,” said a trucker associated with Zaffron union.The tussle has hit the cement traders and the truckers, equally. While the dealers and retailers in the valley have not got any supply from the last 41 days, the truckers too are sitting idle.Besides five private cement factories, a Government-owned cement plant is also not working from the last 41 days.
The dealers and cement factories owners are worried for their trade is being hit and the consumers fear that the sales will increase due to deficient supply of the constructing material.They said that even the factory owners tried to supply cement to them but the unions are not allowing them.“The district administration also interfered to resolve the issue but the unions are unrelenting. We appeal the divisional commissioner, Kashmir to interfere into the issue and resolve so that we can continue our trade,” the dealers told KNS.The deputy commissioner Pulwama, Neeraj Kumar told KNS that the administration has been trying to resolve the dispute between the two unions from the last one month.“It has been difficult to get them to any consensus. After a number of meetings held with them, we have resolved many issues between the two unions, and hopefully within two days the tussle will end. The truckers and cement factories will resume their work,” Kumar told KNS.
PDP legislator form Pampore Assembly segment, Zahoor Ahmad Mir told KNS that he has asked both the unions and the administration to come to the table and resolve the issue.“I have directed the administration to intervene and resolve the dispute, since both the truckers and the cement dealers are affected. I expect they will reach a consensus within a day,” Mir told KNS.Last week some truckers tried to load cement from a private factory, but the villagers and truckers from Halqa Nagandar tried to storm the office of the factory and pelted stones on it.The truckers have so far held two protest demonstrations in city’s Lalchowk against the administration for failing to resolve the dispute. (KNS)