'Truck drivers, should be empowered, given dignity'
Kolkata, June 21: The truck drivers - forming the base of the logistics sector of the country - must be empowered and given dignity, panelists said at a conclave here on Thursday.
"We should make the drivers feel that they equal. When we are working with them we must try to make them feel empowered with training and feel happy and confident from within," said Manisha Mishra, Associate Programme Director of Development Alternatives, who worked on a project for truck drivers.
Federation of West Bengal Truck Operators' Association President Mohinder Singh Gill said the biggest problem in India is that the drivers are looked down upon by the public, police and even by the government machinery, and addressed using abusive language.
"In India, even after Independence if anyone is leading a life full of struggle, it is the truck driver. Neither the Central nor the state governments have paid attention to them.
"In case of an accident, the drivers are accused even if they are not at fault," Gill said at the Sambandh Conclave, the first ever national conclave dedicated to future of Indian truck drivers organised by Seva Kendra Calcutta (SKC) - the social services organization of the Archdiocese of Kolkata.
The Economic Survey 2017-18 estimates that the worth of Indian logistics market would be around $215 billion in next two years, compared to about $160 billion currently, with the implementation of GST. But the drivers who are the base of the sector are still suffering.
"The drivers are marginalised and exploited, even if the balance sheet of the logistics industry is growing. Very few logistic companies train the drivers. Also, the driving schools are not ready to train them," said Stephen Gonsalves, senior consultant of 'Sambandh Project' conducted by SKC.
The organisation conducts awareness camps, sets up health check-up kiosks and tries to sensitize the truck drivers to lead a healthy and hygienic life.
"We along with the Transport Associations must lobby for policy level changes," said Moses Nirmal, Manager of Truck Driver's Enrichment Project, World Vision of India.
Gonsalves shared the story of a driver who once told him "People salute the Jawans of the country as they defend the country, but no one salutes the drivers who bring in the essential food and supplies that are required every day."
Noting it is true that the society discriminates against them, Nirmal advised the drivers to be more confident about themselves and realise they are the ones running the country.
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Mathura boat capsize tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13
Mathura (UP)(PTI): With the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, the death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 13, officials said on Sunday.
Search for three more missing persons is underway.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said renewed search efforts led to the recovery of the body of a college student, identified as Dinki Bansal, near Devraha Baba Ghat and that of a man identified as Rishabh Sharma approximately 3 km away from the accident site.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with the district administration and local police were actively engaged in the search for the missing pilgrims.
However, strong currents of the Yamuna river and the significant depth of the water at the ghats are proving a hindrance.
Circle Officer (Mant) Sandeep Singh said the Yamuna river stretch extending from Keshi Ghat to Gokul Barrage has been divided into seven sectors.
The search for the missing individuals will now be conducted within this specific 20-square-km zone. A Station House Officer (SHO) has been designated as the in-charge for each sector.
Acting on the orders of the DIG (Agra Range), seven SHOs will oversee operations across the seven sectors of river Yamuna.
Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, on Saturday had said although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-km radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.
SHO of Vrindavan police station Sanjay Pandey said boat operator Pappu was arrested late on Friday night.
He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and operating the boat at high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.
Police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.
Rawat said that on Friday evening, police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.
According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.
Moreover, despite repeated pleas from pilgrims, Pappu operated the boat at high speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.
Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.
Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification.
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