Mangalore: Deadlock at beverages gowdown as labourers refuse to unload lorries

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (NM)

Mangalore, May 30: Trouble erupted at the gowdown of Karanataka State Beverages Corporation Limited, Maroli here on Thursday May 30 after labourers refused to unload lorries laden with liquor boxes, claiming that they had been damaged and rain-soaked.

More than 60 lorries laden with boxes of beer and other alcoholic beverages have been standing near the gowdown for the last six days, with labourers refusing to unload them and drivers remaining helpless.

The situation reached turned worse on Thursday after locals gave a complaint to the Kankanady police about lorry drivers loitering in the area, as the latter have no place to go and are not in a position to return with their lorries without having unloaded them.

Speaking to daijiwold, two of the labourers, Sandeep and Bhoja Bangera said that they usually unload 16 vehicles, but as it is month end, 60 lorries have come together.

"The boxes have not been packed properly and rain water has entered inside. Some of the boxes are also damaged. They contain alcohol, and if during unloading they break or something goes wrong, we will be held responsible. As the boxes are damaged, it is risky to unload, and we do not have medical insurance either," they said.

"We are paid on the basis of number of vehicles we unload. In this case we have to unload each box at a time as they are damaged and soaked in rain water. It will be a time consuming process and we will be able to unload only four or five lorries a day, and get paid less. Instead if we unload only the good boxes, we can clear off 15 lorries a day, and get paid well too," they reasoned.

There are 44 labourers to unload the vehicles. After unloading, the liquor bottles are distributed to various bars and other places.

On the other hand, the drivers say that they are helpless as the boxes got damaged due to heavy rains. "We have already filed a complaint with Kankanady police regarding labourers' refusal to unload," they said.

"We come from other places to unload the goods here and return to our places. Now because of this strike by labourers, we have no place to sleep or wash ourselves. We have to live on roadsides and one of the locals even chased us by throwing stones," they said, adding that they don't even have enough place to park their lorries.

Meanwhile, the Kankanady police met the management of the gowdown and instructed them to get the lorries unloaded and ensure that the strike is called off.

However, the labourers claimed that the police did not approach them with any such order, and hence they would continue their strike.