Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) officials say that the Supreme Court order of October 2 banning all 20-year-old commercial vehicles from the road had left them with no option. There was a two-month backlog in delivery to FPS and the government had to undertake emergency operations from October 24 for the speedy disbursal of ration stock. Since most of their regular contractors have outdated trucks, the extraordinary step of forcing drivers of legally permitted vehicles to deliver rations had to be taken, officials said.

Once called up for `special duty', truck drivers have had to surrender their driving licenses and vehicle registration papers. They have been provided interim permits instead, issued on the letterhead of DSCSC. The `permit' instructs ``all concerned'' to ``help this vehicle in unloading ration items at Fair Price Shops'' and that ``the papers of this vehicle are lying with us''.

Said a driver (who wished to remain anonymous) at an FCI godown today: ``I had come in from Bangalore to deliver a consignment. I was returning when some inspectors stopped my truck near Dhaula Kuan and sent me here. They have seized all documents that I was carrying and I am forced to deliver ration wheat to whichever area that is assigned to me. They are paying me quite well, but I want to go back''.

The godown, from which nearly 1,200 quintals of wheat is being sent to FPS every day, is lined with trucks, most of which are not from Delhi. However, there are very few who are willing to talk.

``Money is not everything. There is no place to sleep, no place to eat and no bathrooms. And worst of all is the uncertainty. We don't know when we will be relieved. Do you know that one truck driver was killed because another truck ran over him when he was sleeping?'' says a furious driver.

Confirming the incident, the SHO of Mayapuri, Arun Sapra says: ``On the night of October 24, Mahinder, a young tempo driver from Dhodhwa, a small village in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan was accidentally run over by another truck. He was sleeping near his vehicle when the incident took place''.

His family was later summoned from Jhunjhunu to hand over the body. Though a case has been registered, no one knows who is responsible for the accident.

Says S. Regunathan, Transport Commissioner: ``In emergency situations we can permit such things. The transporters' cartel was exploiting the situation and so we asked other truck drivers to deliver the ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS). They are being paid very well. However, I was not aware that there were trucks from outside and I will immediately instruct my officials to release them''.

Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Saigal said that following the Supreme Court ban, they had issued short-term permits to truck drivers for speedy disbursal of rations.