Santanu Bhattacharjee, Petrapole: The officials who are handling the exim trade at Petrapole seem to be simply joking with the stakeholders .With less than ten trucks are cleared each day it will take ar least six months to clear all the trucks that are already stranded at Petrapole.
With a faulty ICP ( integrated check post) and no proper system to check the incoming Bangladeshi trucks carrying covid positive patients the things are still at mess at largest landport Petrapole. ” We don’t know how to earn and survive. We are completely clueless about our near.” said Kartick Chakrabarty , a senior post bearer in the stakeholders association . Not only Chakrabarty several persons who managed to sneak into the covid check system at other part of the border are completely at loss. ” There is hardly any concept of social distancing. all are working together. There is hardly any measure taken to stop spread of the virus to Indian drivers , helpers who are going other side to clear the goods.” said an exporter.
As a result the drivers and helpers are frightened to take the trucks to Benapole to offload the products. In Indian side too no steps has been taken either by the landport, custom or local administration to check the health condition of the persons coming inside with Bangladesi trucks. Since no labour is available in Indian to help them offloading the goods the drivers and helpers of the truck coming from other side are doubling as labours to offload their products in Indian side. Desher Samay had earlier highlighted this problem relentlessly but still the authorities who are drawing fat salaries from public money and taxes are least bothered about this problem . They had limited their role in shotting off the letter to their subordinates just to have an excuse that they had done their job.
In this circumstance the worst sufferer are the stake holders who livelihood depends on the smooth functioning of the border trade.
In this backdrop it is very important to know that seven of the 109 LCS have been upgraded as integrated check posts — where immigration and customs officials sit in adjacent buildings for faster clearance of goods and passengers. While LCS lack even basic facilities, ICPs like the one in Petrapole have parking bays, weighbridges, cargo terminals, warehouse facilities, public utility facilities, banks/ATMs, foreign exchange bureaus and cafeterias, among others. Now, the Cabinet Committee on Security is looking to approve a Rs 4,500-crore proposal to improve 13 more land borders, says Anil Bamba, chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India, which coordinates with state and central agencies over passage of passengers and cargo through land borders. The upgrade would cover the border posts in Jaigaon (India-Bhutan), Panitanki (India-Nepal) and Hili and Fulbari (India-Bangladesh). But is this what has been intended from a institution like landport that was inaugurated by two prime ministers of two countries India and Bangladesh ?
