Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 01:51 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Uditha Jayasinghe
Heckled by a second day of protests including a tear-gassed demonstration in Dambulla, the Government backed down somewhat yesterday and introduced stopgap measures to enable the controversial plastic crates law to become practical.
Cooperative and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando told media that following discussions with Manning Market traders, it had been decided to let the Government take the onus of purchasing crates to be rented out to farmers at a cost of Rs. 50 a week. He claimed that this would solve the issue of the crates being too expensive for small time farmers to purchase.
Another measure was for crates to be stored at the Narahenpita Economic Centre and returned to farmers via the Government and the Minister outlined plans to use Sathosa vehicles for this purpose. Fernando also took a step back on the decree that crates should be used for all transportation by allowing vegetables transported in three-wheelers and land master tractors to be brought in gunny bags.
“There is no change to the law. We are not withdrawing the usage of plastic crates and I am not going to agree to delay its implementation as requested by the Manning Market traders. If they will not follow the new law, then I will transform the Narahenpita Economic Centre to sell fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices,” he threatened.
Fernando dismissed criticism of the measure being introduced too soon, stressing that it had been in the works for over two years and 400,000 crates were available in the market. He recalled that prior notice was given a year ahead and the farmers could have bought crates on easy payment terms at zero interest but had not done so.
He also claimed that the protests were triggered by people with political agendas and were not results of the new law. He called on the political parties to be fair minded in the interests of the nation.
Four lorries were taken into custody on the Ratnapura road, but Fernando insisted that more had started using crates and had done their business unhindered.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the Nuwara Eliya Government Agent had stated that the famers in his region had agreed to use crates. The Minister alleged that a group of thugs had prevented vegetables from being loaded onto lorries from Nuwara Eliya due to political reasons. Protests that turned violent in Dambulla had to be brought under control by tear gas, said Police.
Traffic grew in snarls on Tuesday morning as hundreds of traders at the Manning Market took to the streets carrying placards and shouting slogans, demanding that the new law be withdrawn. They protested at the market, blocking traffic and burning crates and vegetables after dumping them on the ground and ringing them with tyres. The ramshackle buildings housing loud bargaining on other days were desolate and few buyers were present as trading had come to a halt.
Similar scenes were seen around the country on Monday after the Government fined over 40 lorries for transporting vegetables sans plastic crates and traders reacted by suspending business and protesting by burning crates and dumping vegetables.
