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The movement of wagons, both empties and loaded, has remained suspended in iron ore rich Joda-Barbil area in Odisha since Monday following agitation by truck owners.
They are protesting against the Odisha Government’s decision clamping restriction on the movement of goods vehicles carrying exports and instead favouring larger rail movement.
The Government decision should impact only the movement of iron ore for exports but the agitators have stalled all freight movement by rail, it is learnt.
As a result, the loading and movement of iron ore for Tata Steel at Joda and Steel Authority of India Ltd at Bolani believed to have been hit.
Tata Steel loads about four rakes a day and SAIL about three rakes in the area.
The Odisha Government’s objective appears to be pious. The sharp rise in the number of vehicles in the Joda-Barbil area, particularly clogging the National Highway 215, has thrown up a plethora of problems.
Since 2006-09, according to one estimate, the number of six-wheelers operating in the area has increased 100 per cent and 10-wheelers more than 70 per cent, many times more than the permissible limits.
The roads are getting damaged, the environment polluted and, more important, others, i.e., other than those involved in transporting iron ore from that area, are unable to use the road. There is no way even a medical unit can move in an emergency.
Capping it all, the road transportation of ore means that a much costlier fuel is being burnt to carry a much cheaper mineral.
A huge loss to the economy
On the other hand, one additional rake loading of ore, it is estimated, will reduce traffic snarl by at least one kilometre, if not more.
Interestingly, the Odisha Government’s decision favouring larger rail movement of ore for exports has brought little cheer to two zonal railways, namely, South Eastern Railway and East Coast Railway, active in the area.
This is because ore exports now being at a low ebb (thanks to slump in Chinese demand), as it is the throughput too is low. The Government decision is unlikely to boost it.
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