'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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
