Rift between lorry owners, Sirpur Paper Mill management turns ugly in Asifabad

Owners of nearly 200 lorries have been protesting for over four weeks against the management of Sirpur Paper Mills (SPM) private limited-Kaghaznagar demanding a hike in charges for transportation of material and paper raw

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Owners of nearly 200 lorries have been protesting for over four weeks against the management of Sirpur Paper Mills (SPM) private limited-Kaghaznagar demanding a hike in charges for transportation of material and paper raw. They have suspended their services as part of the protest, partially affecting production of paper at the mills.

On September 28, owners of 180 odd lorries launched a protest seeking the management of the paper manufacturer to enhance the charges by 30 percent for transportation of bamboo, wood and paper considering increase in the cost of fuel and toll taxes and maintenance of the vehicles. They are not allowing lorries from other States to transport the bamboo, wood and paper as part of the protest. Policemen are being deployed to prevent the stoppages of the lorries by the agitating owners.

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The owners allege that unlike in any part of the country, the management was not hiring their lorries to a major portion of destinations across the country, affecting livelihood of the locals. They stated that it was limiting their services to only 14 destinations out of the total 232 in India, showing discrimination against them. They regretted that the management was giving more importance to lorries outside Kaghaznagar than those in the town.

“The management of SPM is behaving in a highhanded manner against the owners. It is not interested in hiking the transportation charges fixed in 2019. It is not committed to provide employment opportunities to locals as promised at the revival of the factory in 2019,” Venna Kishore, the president of lorry owners association told ‘Telangana Today.’ He added that they would continue to protest as long as their demands were met.

The management of the paper mill said they were already offering more charges than that given in other States. “The cost of transportation of the bamboo, wood and paper is considerably higher than that paid to owners of trucks in neighboring Maharashtra. Owners are trying to control the management by putting forth one or the other demand,” a representative of the management of the mill said.

The district administration held consultations with the owners and management of the paper manufacturer recently. Collector Venkatesh Dothre told the owners and management of the SPM to resolve their issues amicably. He advised the owners to take part in the development of the mill, while suggesting the management to create employment to locals.