Work at Ramdev's food park remains suspended for third day

Work at Ramdev's Patanjali Food and Herbal Park remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Friday with tension persisting in the area since the bloody clash on Wednesday between security guards of the yoga guru's firm and members of a local union of truck operators.

Haridwar: Work at Ramdev's Patanjali Food and Herbal Park remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Friday with tension persisting in the area since the bloody clash on Wednesday between security guards of the yoga guru's firm and members of a local union of truck operators.

On an average 200 trucks transport materials every day to and from the park built over an area of 95 acres at a cost of Rs 23 crore.

However, with an undercurrent of tension still persisting in the area, everything has come to a halt at the park which wears a deserted look.

The clash which left a truck driver dead was the climax of months of tension which was simmering between the park management and a truck operators' union of Padartha area where the park is located.

The main grouse of the truck operators was that they were not being engaged by the firm for transporting its products and trucks from outside Haridwar were being engaged for the purpose.

The rationale offered by the park authorities was that the local trucks were insisting on being paid Rs 19000 a day while trucks from outside were doing all transportation work at the rate of just Rs 10000 per day.

The deal could not be struck due to the wide gap between the freight rates of local truck operators and those from outside.

Mediating between the management and the operators, the local administration had directed the park to engage at least five local trucks in transportation activities to amicably settle the dispute.

But the park agreed in principle to engage only three local trucks for the purpose.

However, when this also did not materialise, things came to a head on Wednesday and local union members tried to stop the loaded trucks from moving out of the park leading to a clash.

Despite repeated mediation, the issue could not be resolved, SP (city) Surjit Singh Panwar said, adding, it is wrong to say that the police or the local administration did not make an effort to resolve the dispute.

The situation as of now cannot be described as normal as tension prevails in the area and work at the park is suspended, he said.

The ruling Congress on the other hand continued its protests against Ramdev who owns the park and by shouting slogans against him and burning his effigy at Chandracharya Chowk.

At a press conference yesterday, Ramdev's aide Balkrishna had said the entire episode was part of a conspiracy hatched at the behest of the state government out of political vendetta.

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.