Industrialists approach Gurugram police over transport ‘mafia’
Sumedha Sharma
Gurugram, July 8
Over 200 industrialists of the Narsinghpur area have approached the police, seeking respite from the alleged truck and transport mafia here.
Monopoly prevails
The truck union or mafia is getting out of hand and establishing its monopoly. It does not allow any industrialist to hire transporters from outside its group. It does not allow any other player to even try business here. Their monopoly makes them extort whatever amount they want from the industrialists.— Member, Gurgaon Industrial Association
The industrialists, led by the Gurgaon Industrial Association, met the Police Commissioner here, highlighting how selected transporters had established their monopoly in transportation in this industrial area and were forcing them to pay exorbitant charges. The industrial area here comprises primarily ancillary and small packaging units.
“The truck union or mafia is getting out of hand and establishing its monopoly. It does not allow any industrialist to hire transporters from outside its group. It does not allow any other player to even try business here. Their monopoly makes them extort whatever amount they want from industrialists. The maximum size of truck they have is 17 feet and many times, we require 32 feet size trucks. For that also, they don’t allow us to contact anybody else, but insist on arranging the same themselves. They then charge extra money from industrialists as commission.”
The prices we are being made to pay are way higher than the average market rate, but we have no option. We just want to function like other industrialists with freedom to choose our contractors,” read the memorandum submitted by the association to the Commissioner.
The association also highlighted poor traffic management and onroad menace in the area. They alleged that vehicular movement on the old and new railway roads was disrupted due to wrong parking, extension of shop premises and waterlogging on the roads. Electric and other rickshaws create a constant trouble in traffic by stopping anywhere for their customers.
“The development of the millennium city depends on its industry. The performance of industries depends on industrial area and the administration and the police need to improve that. We have been voicing our concerns and hope these will be resolved soon,” said association president JN Mangla.
Gurugram Police Commissioner Vikas Arora, meanwhile, has marked an inquiry into the order and issued a warning to all unions to abstain from forcing or extorting money from industrialists.
