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Truce on barge row

Correspondent

Disputed cargo boat will operate with work allotment by Cocanada Chamber of Commerce

Kakinada: A temporary truce was reached between port cargo boat workers' unions and the shipping trade on allowing the disputed cargo boat No. 98 to operate in the anchorage, thus ending the one-month stalemate, at a joint meeting held here on Monday in the presence of RDO Nageswerarao and sub-divisional police officer S Baburao.

The steel barge owners welfare association kept itself away from the meeting, on the plea that it would decide on admitting the new barge into the pool, by putting the issue to vote once again at the general body meeting on September 2.

As per the ad hoc agreement, the barge No. 98 would be operated for the time being, with the work allotment made by the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce. As far as the dispute regarding engaging of workers, it was decided that as against the total 18 workers on board, eight would be from majority union -- HIMS Lead Port Cargo Boats and Steel Barge Workers Union --, two are from boat owner Dhana Sekhar's choice, one from Lakshmi deep water port workers union and five are without any union affiliation but worked previously on the barges. Local MLA Mutha Gopalakrishna, who is honorary chairman, for the three unions would name two of his choice.

Lottery system

To overcome the problem of work allotment, the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce has chosen to allot one of the 15 ships now working at the anchorage port by lottery system. The Maruti Shipping Company, which is exporting rice, will now engage the disputed barge temporarily. HMS union leaders -- Vanamadi Veerababu, secretary Sattibabu, Lakshmi deep water port workers society president Maheswerarao and Vinayaka society president Kollu Suryanarayana signed the agreement on behalf of the shipping trade.

Dantu Suryarao, chairman, Cocanada Chamber of Commerce, Varanasi Bhaskar Rao, Clearing and Forwarding agents association leader Rangarao and Steamer Agents Association leader K Venugopal signed. V. Veerababu later clarified that the Vinayaka deep water port society was not having any stakes in the anchorage and all the workers now chosen had previously worked on the cargo boats.

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