Transport facilitation control rooms set up in Punjab

The Punjab government has set up transport facilitation control rooms for uninterrupted movement of trucks carrying essential commodities as part of the new measures to maintain their supply chain.

While the central transport control room is headed by the state transport commissioner, the facilitation control rooms in districts are being headed by RTA secretaries, the state government said in a statement here.

The Transport Department has also stepped up supplies for other states which are deficient in food grains and other essentials.

The outward movement of stocks to deficient states has gone up by almost 50 per cent over the normal, it said.

Nearly 20-25 rakes of wheat or rice containing 54,000-67,500 tonnes are being dispatched daily to deficient states, it said.

The newly formed transport control rooms will help truck operators and drivers to move their trucks (loaded or empty) anywhere in Punjab for essential commodities' transportation.

These control rooms will liaison with various authorities to ensure that these operators don't face any problem, the statement said, adding they will also help truckers from Punjab, facing problems anywhere in India, by coordinating with the concerned authorities of those states.

Similarly, these control rooms will also help traders, manufacturers of essential commodities based out of Punjab to engage trucks for transportation of essential commodities to its place of consumption, it further said.

The state authorities, meanwhile, have imposed Rs 1.85 lakh penalty against those who were found selling essential items above MRP.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday had given strict instructions to check prices of all essential commodities and take strong action against those found hoarding, blackmarketing or overcharging.

Enforcement teams are working constantly to check overpricing and are taking stringent action against those indulging in such malpractices, especially who are selling items at higher rates than the prescribed ones.

As many as 15 establishments in Pathankot, 10 in Gurdaspur, 15 in Ferozepur, one in Ludhiana and 11 in SAS Nagar have been raided by the teams and one gas agency has been challaned, the release said.