Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Aug 6: The people, frustrated by the total derision being shown by the ore trucks towards the ban imposed by the district administration on their movement, blocked them at the district border at Ottinene near Byndoor in the taluk on the night of Tuesday August 4.

The district administration had banned the movement of the ore laden trucks in the district recently, after the roads and bridges that were already damaged due to the movement of heavy trucks faced the prospect of crumbling during the rainy season. Even though the ban came into affect since over two weeks, the ore trucks gave a slip to the policemen and reached Mangalore port.

When both Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts enforced ban on the movement of ore trucks, the trucks came in hordes and were held up at the district border. After hundreds of trucks got stranded at Ottinene for several days, Udupi district administration permitted the ore trucks to move ahead, on humanitarian grounds, as a one-time measure. However, the ore trucks continued to enter the district, after which the district administration took sterner measures to contain them.

The ore trucks found ways and means to hoodwink the policemen and officers. The drivers used to stop the trucks at Bhatkal when they got an inkling that there was checking ahead, and after they got clear signal, they moved to Mangalore either on the highway or through interior roads during the nights. Disgruntled by this, people stopped some ore trucks on the night of Sunday August 3. When the ore trucks started coming again on Tuesday, the people stopped the trucks at Ottinene Way Bridge and stuck to the stand that they would not be allowed to move ahead. They demanded strict action against the owners of the ore trucks that have no respect for the government order. The people continued to block the trucks till about 2 am on Wednesday August 5.

Byndoor circle inspector Kantaraj arrived on the spot and held talks with the protestors. After negotiating, he asked them to allow the trucks to move on, on humanitarian grounds.  He assured that the ore trucks arriving from Wednesday onwards would not be allowed to enter the district. Based on his assurance, the protestors dispersed.