Coal truckers block highway, five arrested

SHILLONG, FEB 6: After attacking the DMR office in Umling some days ago, agitated coal trucks drivers blocked the National Highway-40 by putting boulders  and burning tyres on the middle of the roads on Friday afternoon.

Five truckers have been arrested for instigating others to block the national highway blocking vehicles plying from Shillong to Guwahati and vice versa.

The traffic movement through the national highway got severely affected after angry coal truck drivers protest the delay in weighing their truck loads which was refuted by the district administration who instead blamed them for overloading the  trucks and thereby delay release of their trucks .

The incident took place at around 3.30 pm at Umsamlem village when agitated coal truck drivers decided to block the road disallowing public vehicles from plying,  police informed.

Police said the irate drivers even burnt tires on the road thereby bringing the vehicular movement to a total standstill.

Ri Bhoi SP CVS Reddy said , “The drivers have blocked the road by not allowing vehicles from Guwahati and Shillong to ply.”  He informed that only after the  police and magistrates rushed to the spot movement of traffic could be regulated stored.

Police also picked up five truck drivers for instigating their colleagues that led to total chaos in national highway causing unnecessary traffic snarl.

The drivers who have picked up are Nedarabsuk Syntem (27), Marleki Suchiang, Damonmei Bang (25), Leaderson Dkhar and Bon Rymbai, all hailing from Nartiang village in West Jaintia Hills District.

The coal truck drivers got agitated at delay in weighing their loads at the Umling integrated check gate of the Directorate of Mineral Resources (DMR), which resume operation on Wednesday night after it was attacked by them.

A truck driver said they had to protest as the weighing system was too slow which made they stay in the National Highway for four-five days without proper food. He alleged that it took about 45 minutes to weigh one truck. – By Our Reporter