Margao: Loaded mining trucks that had been stranded midway reached the jetties under heavy police protection on Saturday to offload ore, even as the dispute over the allocation of transportation trips in Sanvordem remained unresolved.Mining transportation in Sanvordem, which resumed last week after a hiatus of nearly a decade, came to an abrupt halt on Thursday following a dispute over the allocation of trips to trucks owned by people from outside the village. Local truck drivers stopped a mining firm’s ore transportation, protesting its decision to engage “outside” trucks. DySP Nilesh Rane led a police team that tried to persuade the protesters to disperse, but they refused, insisting that transportation would not resume until the firm stopped engaging outside trucks.A meeting convened by the Sanguem deputy collector on Friday failed to resolve the deadlock.With several loaded trucks stranded along the route, police provided heavy security on Saturday to ensure they reached the jetties and unloaded the ore. Personnel were deployed along the route to prevent any untoward incident, and the movement of the trucks passed off peacefully. However, no fresh loading or transportation took place.The agitation follows a demand raised earlier this week by mining dependents in the Sanvordem-Kalay belt, who sought priority for local truck owners and the re-employment of retrenched mine workers ahead of the resumption of mining dump transportation. They had met the sarpanchs of Sanvordem and Kalay, who assured them of their support.Truck owners said mining had remained shut for around 15 years, leaving them without business. They said their only demand was that local trucks be engaged for transportation, arguing that the use of “outside” trucks would leave them with fewer trips and, consequently, lower earnings.
