Barwani drivers' body seeks national drivers' commission and Rs 10 lakh accident insurance

Members of the Chalak Ekta Sangathan in Barwani went to the Collector's office on Thursday and submitted a memorandum to SDM Bhupendra Rawat. The memorandum puts forward six demands on the safety, health and legal assistance of commercial vehicle drivers.

The organisation's first demand is that a drivers' commission be set up at the national level. It has also demanded the constitution of a central drivers' welfare board. The memorandum said commercial drivers play a key role in agriculture, industry, trade, construction and the transport of essential goods. Despite working day and night, they face challenges of social, economic and work-related security.

The organisation also called for a special drivers' protection law to be enforced for the safety, dignity and legal assistance of drivers.

On insurance, the organisation demanded that accident insurance or compensation of at least Rs 10 lakh, linked to the driving licence, be fixed for commercial vehicle drivers. It also asked for schemes such as health insurance and accident assistance to be implemented.

The organisation further demanded a system of regular dialogue with representatives of drivers' organisations. The memorandum urged that the problems of commercial drivers of Barwani district be conveyed to the government and that action on the demands be ensured at the government level.

The drivers say they play an important role in running the transport system, and attention should therefore also be paid to their rights, employment, wages, working conditions and the security of their families.

The organisation's president Anil Jat, vice-president Gori Shankar and treasurer Jeevan Sen were present when the memorandum was submitted. They were accompanied by Krishna Yadav, Kamlesh Chouhan, Santosh Rathod, Balram Kumawat, Kantilal Yadav, Santosh Yadav, Mahesh Sharma, Goru Baba, Sunil Kanase, Dharmendra Kumawat, Arpit Joshi and Suresh Birle.