Mangalore, May 30: An unpleasant climate has been created due to refusal to unload the lorries laden with liquor boxes by the labourers at the godown of Karnataka state beverages corporation Limited, Maroli on May 30, Thursday.It is learnt that Labourers refused to unload the lorries on the ground that liquor boxes had been damaged and dampened with rain water.
Sources said 60 lorries laden with boxes of beer and other alcoholic beverages have been standing near the godown for the past six days. As the labourers refusing to unload the lorries, drivers remaining helpless.
The situation has aggravated when the locals have complained to the Kankanady police about the drivers of the lorries wandering helplessly in the area as they have no other option unless lorries with alcoholic boxes have been unloaded.
According to Sandeep and Bhoja Bangera usually they unload 16 vehicles but as it is month, 60 lorries have come all together.
Boxes have not been packed properly and as a result rain water has entered inside. Some of the boxes were also damaged. As the boxes are damaged, even if during unloading, they break or something goes wrong, they will be accountable and they don’t have medical insurance either, labourers claimed.
Labourers further said they are being paid on the basis of number of vehicles unloaded and where as in this particular case they have to unload each box individually at a time as they are damaged and wet with rain water. As it will be time consuming process and they will be able to unload only four or five lorries in a day and get paid less. Instead if they unload only the good boxes, they can clear off 15 lorries a day and get paid well too.
There were forty four labourers to unload the vehicles and after unloading, the liquor bottles are to be distributed to various bars and other places.
According to drivers they are helpless as the boxes got damaged due to heavy rain and they too have filed a complaint with kankanady police with regard to labourer’s refusal to unload the lorries.
Drivers further said that they came from other places to unload here and go back to their places but because of this strike by the labourers they had to strand here without proper place to sleep or wash themselves and live on road side after undergoing all the ordeals and one of the locals even chased and threw stones at them.
Although Kankanady police met the godown management and instructed them to get the lorries unloaded and strike be called off but labourers claim that since police have not met them, they will continue their strike.
Photo source: through Sathish Kapikad
