Police-Mediators Linked Over Truck Traffic in Odisha Discovered

PARADIP: Paradip Lock police have discovered a nexus between local cops and middlemen. This allows trucks loaded with heavy lorries to cut in front of the traffic jam. This poses a threat to the lives of policemen and often causes road accidents and traffic jams.

On Saturday, a police officer and three drivers were arrested by local police in connection with such an incident.

Three associations of truck owners, united under the name Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), are protesting against the cooperation with the police and are threatening to stage a protest action by halting truck traffic indefinitely from 16 August.

Sources said thousands of trucks are busy transporting cargo like iron ore and coal to Paradip port. The trucks are lined up along a 35-km stretch from Paradip to Marsaghai in Kendrapara district, waiting to unload their cargo. Several drivers have to wait for seven to 10 days due to traffic congestion, while those who pay extortion money to the mafia with the connivance of local police manage to jump the queue and unload their cargo in just two to three days, sources said.

A gang is said to be active in extorting money from truck owners and drivers to allow them to cut in line. Allegations have also surfaced of illegal payments to the police to cut in line at Paradip.

On July 30, SI Srikant Kumar Sahu of Paradip Lock police station had a narrow escape after being run over by a truck loaded with iron ore. Sahu asked the driver to stop as he had been pushed in front of him. During the investigation, Paradip Lock police arrested three drivers from Jharkhand.

Paradip Lock IIC Kulamani Sethi said, “The police investigation has revealed links between police personnel and brokers and three drivers were arrested earlier, while a constable, Nihar Ranjan Ransingh, was arrested on Saturday.”