Sumbal, July 7, KNT: The drivers who unload ration and other stuff at FCI gowdown in Shilwat area of Sumbal here in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district Tuesday said that they are being forced to grease the palms of Manager before leaving the godown.
Truck drivers from UP, Punjab, Haryana and other states who arrive at Food Corporation of India premises in Shilwat Sumbal to unload the ration are not only paying labour charges but also are being asked to pay money for releasing their trucks from the premises.
Government has outsourced this outlet and it is being taken care of by a private party. Truck drivers told news agency KNT that they pay Rs 1400 as labour charges. “We have no problem with labour charges and we readily pay Rs 1400 to Manager. But what is worrying is that Manager doesn’t allow us to leave the premises till we pay Rs 1800 to him as what he says ‘releasing charges,” the drivers said.
“To get out from the premises, we have to pay Rs 1800 bribe to the Manager and there is no one who could take action against him,” said a truck driver from Haryana.
Another driver said that those who refuse to pay the bribe are forced to stay at the FCI premises for days together as the Manager resorts to dilly-dally tactics in unloading ration from the trucks of those drivers.
When contacted, Manger termed the allegations baseless and said that some truck drivers are basically agitated as their trucks haven’t been unloaded yet because of non availability of space in the godown. “It is because of this reason that these agitated truck drivers are leveling ‘baseless’ allegations,” he said. (KNT)
