Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, January 10: Diglipur Travel Union, Diglipur in support with Drivers’ Union, N & M Andaman, Auto- Rickshaw Union, Diglipur held a massive dharna in front of the Assistant Commissioner’s Office in the morning today to press for early payment of the service of vehicles hired during Lok Sabha Elections 2019 & 2024.
As per report, the protest was mounted by the Unions to press for early payment of the service of vehicles hired during Lok Sabha Elections 2019 & 2024. The dharna gradually gathered momentum after the political leaders from the BJP & Congress Party joined the dharna. Addressing the Administration, Smti. Sunity Halder, Zilla Parishad Member from the Keralpuram Constituency, Diglipur took the District Election Authority, N & M Andaman to task for non-payment of service of vehicles hired during Lok Sabha Elections 2019 & 2024.
She said that vehicle owners and drivers are under severe mental strain owing to non-payment of their bills raised against the service they provided during Lok Sabha Elections. The Administration should understand the gravity of the grievous situation vehicle owners and drivers are in and make the payment early.
Mr. Nikit Das. Youth Congress General Secretary, lashed out at the District Election Authority, N & M Andaman for non-payment of service of vehicles hired during Lok Sabha Elections 2019 & 2024. He said that the Administration should stop the practice of dictatorship and pay the due money to the poor vehicle owners and drivers, without further delay. And it is a people’s right enshrined in the Constitution of India to hold protest and ask for justice, Mr. Nikit said.
Mr. Mitu Das, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat, Ramnagar also lambasted the Administration and said that it reportedly failed on all fronts, be it delivering service to the public or developmental works in A & N Islands. And pigeonholing of payment of the service of vehicles hired from the unemployed youths during Lok Sabha Elections 2019 & 2024 is another example of a debacle and incompetence of the Administration, Mr. Mitu fulminated.
Excoriating at the Administration, Mr. Pradeep Das, ZPM, R.K. Gram constituency advocated the early clearance of the payment to the vehicle service providers to the administration during Lok Sabha Elections 2019 & 2024, and it was not at all good on the part of the District Election Authority, N & M Andaman for holding back the payment for such a long time, he decried. Mr. Dipankar Mistry, Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti Diglipur also joined the dharna and said that the District Election Authority, N & M Andaman hires the vehicles and dinghies during the elections and doesn’t make the payment in time every time, he alleged.
He urged the District Election Authority, N & M Andaman to make necessary arrangements to clear the due payment to vehicle owners and drivers who have been undergoing severe problems owing to the delay of the payment from administration, he spoke in his address. The protestors were seen holding placards with words: Pay Your dues, we are service providers, not to be taken for granted, stop robbing drivers in the name of election, stop misbehaving with drivers, we want justice etc.
The Unions then said that if the Assistant Commissioner, Diglipur didn’t arrive at the dharna site till 12:00 noon and meet the protestors so as to resolve the issue, they would resort to road blockage. Accordingly, when it became 12:00 past five, the protestors were seen to come along with ropes and who then blocked the road with the rope near the Dolphin Chowk on all the three routes. As a result of which the traffic was disrupted for about half an hour. In the meantime the Assistant Commissioner arrived on the scene and engaged into the negotiations with protestors. The Assistant Commissioner then gave them a patient hearing while the President of Diglipur Travel Union Mr. Pratap Chakraborty placed four demands such as- clearance of due payment, expediting, of the process of vehicles’ papers in RTO, arrangement of parking place for vehicles of Diglipur Travel Union and flexibility in charging of challans to vehicles till the clearance of the payment before the Assistant Commissioner. The AC then requested them to sit in his Chamber and discuss the matter peacefully and also requested them to open the road as people stuck in the blockage were suffering.
The protestors then opened the road and a team of delegation composed of the President of Diglipur Travel Union and political leaders from the BJP and Congress sat in the Office of the AC and resolved the issue. As per the report last came in, the AC reportedly gave a verbal assurance to the delegation that the Administration would reportedly clear the due payment part by part and within 15 days the Administration would pay a sizable part of the due payment. The protestors then disbursed, the report further said.
