First case under ESMA registered in Colliery police station

Bijay Kumar RoutAngul: Colliery police have invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against six truck owners and others for allegedly obstructing the coal production dispatch among others in Balaram Coal mine at Talcher.This is for the first time the Act has been invoked by police in Talcher after it was implemented in this industrial region of Talcher by the State government from April 23 prohibiting strikes, blockades and obstruction in coal production and dispatch to power stations of Nalco and NTPC.Any sort of strike and blockade have been also banned in both the NTPC power plants in Talcher as per the notification issued by the State Home Department on May 9.However, the first such complaint was made by the project officer Virendra Kumar Singh of Balaram Coal mine after the notification where the coal transporters and truckers are at loggerheads over the transport rate.While the coal transporters offered to pay market price to truckers for local sale, truckers demanded a hike.The stalemate persists between them even after local Sub-Collector Saroj Samal and MCL General Manager P.M.Prasad tried to break the deadlock.Singh complained that six persons along with others of Danara Truck Owners Association and others stopped the coal production and despatch and made idle the costly equipments in the mines on June 11 even though there was a meeting at Sub-Collector Office on that day.The FIR stated the names of Vivekananda Sahu, Daka Mahanty, Bachhia Sahu, Saroj Pradhan, Bhramar Sahu, Bibhuti Sahu and others.Colliery police registered the case on June 11 under ESMA and under normal sections of IPC against them but no arrest has been made so far.“We have booked them under ESMA and under other provisions under IPC for obstructing the coal mining and dispatch activities.But so far no arrest has been made.Since ESMA is in force in Talcher so any sort of FIR in this connection invites ESMA,” commented Inspector In-charge of Colliery police station S.Mallick.