GUWAHATI, Aug 13 � Supply of essential items to various parts of the North East would be affected with the contractors of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), North East Zone, deciding to resort to an indefinite strike from August 16 in protest against what they termed was �unjustified and untimely imposition of a Supreme Court verdict� on them by the zonal office of the FCI.
The Contractor Federation of India (CFI) has decided to resort to strike after the NE zonal office of the FCI, all of a sudden, limited the carriage of goods by trucks to nine tonnes from 22 tonnes as per a Supreme Court order that dates back to 2007. It also questioned why the zonal office kept the SC order under wraps for almost three years.
The federation alleged that the zonal office even after receiving intimation from the FCI headquarters about the apex court�s order way back in 2007 did not take any step to impose the order till June 2010.
�Now, all of a sudden after almost three years since the order was passed, we have been asked to limit the carriage to nine tonnes per truck and that too at the same rate as was quoted by us when the carriage was limited to 22 tonnes, which is practically impossible. The position with the carriage limitation has undergone a sea change,� reasoned Rana Saidur Zaman, president of Contractor Federation of FCI (NEZ) while talking to media persons at the Guwahati Press Club here today.
�We have welcomed the SC order but as we had quoted the rates on the basis of the existing ground reality relevant at that point of time, same rates cannot be imposed on us now. The authority concerned must enhance the rate by 120 per cent,� he stated, adding, �The contractors are suffering huge losses due to the indifferent attitude of the zonal office of the FCI.
The federation has submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister of Food and Consumer Affairs and the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of FCI, seeking reddressal of their grievances, which also include forthwith withdrawal of service tax.
The memorandum also highlighted various other issues, including seeking waiver of loss of goods during transportation to the extent of 0.05 per cent.
