Fodder traders protest in Dhanbad

Dhanbad: Over 40 fodder traders of the district staged a protest on Tuesday against the district transport department’s crackdown on vehicles overloaded with cattle feeds and the imposition of fines.
The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the sub-divisional officer, Raj Maheshwaram, requesting him to mitigate their problems.
Md Raja, a protester, said, "Vehicles carrying fodder from Bengal have stopped coming to Dhanbad because of the crackdown, leading to a crisis in the fodder market. Cattle owners and milk producers are having suffering because of the crackdown and the price rise."
Another protester said, "The straw is very light compared to other materials like coal and cement. The parameter for judging a loaded truck by its height of 15 metres for fodder vehicles cannot be justified."
However, district transport officer Om Prakash Yadav said, "As per the motor vehicle rules, there is no separate height prescribed for light material like straw. For all loaded trucks, only 15 feet height from the ground is allowed and we are not imposing fines wrongly."
Yadav added that the crackdown also included trucks which bear Bengal registration number plates without having valid permission to operate in Jharkhand.