If the ongoing tussle between Vedanta's Sesa Goa Iron Ore Division and truck transporters over the transportation rate is not resolved, Vedanta will be forced to shut down the pig iron plant at Amona, company officials said.
The company has already shut down a blast furnace at Amona. Truck transporters have been randomly stopping the ore transportation since the last few days, demanding higher rates.
An official spokesperson of the company said, "We have been trying our best to keep the business running. Company has been forced to shut down one of its blast furnaces at Amona and will shut down the other two soon if the transportation of ore is hindered by vested interest."
The company's Pig Iron plant at Amona depends on ore from its mines in Codli and Bicholim and this could affect a large workforce that earns its livelihood from it. The problem now seems to have grown beyond proportions with the truck owners holding the organization to ransom and also indulging in violent attacks, which has become an everyday feature and continues, Vedanta official added.
"We have been law-abiding and have knocked on each and every door for a solution, approached every stakeholder of the industry to intervene and help resolve the problem amicably. Our efforts seem to be in vain, and if things continue this way, the company will have no other option but to close down operations," Vedanta officials added.