Today afternoon (May 13, 2026), the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the East Jaintia Hills Truck Owners Transport Association (EJHTOTA) and the Jaintia Hills Truck Owners Association (JHTOA) met with the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills District to discuss the ongoing issue concerning bulker trucks.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, JAC Secretary Kyrshan Dkhar, who is also the President of EJHTOTA, said that the association had been on an indefinite strike against Dalmia Cement since April 14, 2026, which lasted for nearly a month. He informed that the JAC met with company officials yesterday, during which the company assured them that their demands would be addressed. Following this assurance, the JAC decided this morning to withdraw the strike against Dalmia Cement.
Today’s meeting was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Manish Kumar, IAS, and attended by the Superintendent of Police, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, representatives of cement companies, bulker truck stakeholders, and members of the JAC.
Dkhar stated that the JAC’s long-standing demand to ban bulker trucks from operating within the district remains unresolved. At present, around 70 to 80 bulker trucks are operating in the area, but the number could increase to nearly 1,000 in the future. He reiterated that the JAC strongly opposes the operation of bulker trucks in the district.
As no final resolution was reached during the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner directed both the JAC and the bulker truck operators to hold discussions among themselves and submit their findings before the next follow-up meeting. Meanwhile, the indefinite strike against bulker trucks will continue.
JAC Chairman Biangshwa Shylla also informed that the association recently met Dalmia Cement officials in Guwahati, where the company assured smooth loading operations from today onward. He said that if 14 trucks — seven from each association — are loaded today, the materials will be unloaded tomorrow.
Shylla further stated that the company has agreed to fix the transportation rate to Barak Valley at ₹975 per ton. He urged all truck owners to claim the approved rate from transporters. He also appealed to local transporters, especially those operating at the cement plant, to charge only ₹25 per ton instead of ₹50 or ₹60 per ton.