Unable to bear the financial loss caused due to agitation by the truckers under the aegis of Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), the Paradip unit of Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) has finally decided to shut down the plant indefinitely.
“We are forced to shut down the plant indefinitely as the truckers have launched an indefinite stir from last Monday preventing any inward or outward movement of fertilizers, raw material and coal”, said BK Sahoo, official spokesperson, IFFCO.
Sahoo said, the IFFCO is incurring a loss of more than one crore a day because of this blockade.
JCC an organization of three truckers association has demanded engaging only their trucks for transportation of fertilizers, raw materials and coal at prices decided by the committee and not IFFCO.
Sahoo said, JCC asked for doubling the existing rates of transportation which is illegal and against the norms as the rates are finalized through competitive bidding.
It may be noted that about 45000 metric tonnes of fertilizers are piled up in the plant premises that are to be dispatched to different parts of the country.
A number of meetings were held to find consensus among the IFFO officials and the JCC in presence of district administration, but all were fruitless forcing the company management to shut down pant indefinitely, Sahoo added.
The truckers were agitating at the plant’s office since December 26.
