In a bid to end the cartelisation of goods transport, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to the Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelization Rules), 2017, which bar good carriage operators from forming cartels or unions in the state.

After a meeting of the council of ministers, chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, an official spokesperson said the proposed new rules will be placed in public domain for 30 days for any comments or objections.

He said the move was aimed at destroying the mafia of good transporters who had cartelised the business over the past several years, obstructing the free and fair movement of goods transport, thereby also impacting industrial development of the state.

To protect the interests of the transporters following the abolition of truck unions, it was also decided that the government should fix the minimum and maximum fares and freights for goods carriers.

This would be done from time to time, in respect of different kinds of goods carriers on a per kilo-meter basis for wet and dry loads and for the transportation of livestock, keeping in view the different terrains to be traversed, the cost of fuel and maintenance, salaries and expenditure, and all other relevant factors pertaining to the different kinds of goods carriages.

According to the official spokesperson, once these Rules come into effect, no operator or permit holder of goods carriages shall be allowed to form a cartel denying freedom of choice to the consignors and consignees to engage the services of such operators or permit holders.

Further, no operator or permit holder of goods carriages shall compel any other operator or a permit holder of goods carriage to join him to carry out the business, and no operator or permit holder of goods carriage shall deny services to any of the consignors and consignees, who wish to avail their services.

The Rules also provide that no operator or a permit holder of goods carriages shall stop any operator or a permit holder of goods carriages who wish to pick up goods from any local areas, towns or cities within the State of Punjab in the normal course of their business, as permissible under the terms and conditions of permit granted to them by the competent authority.