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TMC leaders extort money at Malda international land port: Bengal truck owners ahead of Mamata’s visit
The allegations came as chief minister Mamata Banerjee started her north Bengal tour on Tuesday. Truck owners said they will bring the matter to Banerjee’s notice on Wednesday, when the chief minister is scheduled to address a party workshop in Malda.
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Truck owners, who regularly carry goods to Bangladesh through West Bengal’s Malda district, on Tuesday accused local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders of extorting crores of rupees from them at the Mahadipur international land port.
The allegations came as chief minister Mamata Banerjee started her north Bengal tour on Tuesday. Truck owners said they will bring the matter to Banerjee’s notice on Wednesday, when the chief minister is scheduled to address a party workshop in Malda.
Significantly, Banerjee singled out Malda district while addressing a crucial TMC meeting in Kolkata on Monday and said she was extremely unhappy with leaders in the district.
“I am aware that in Malda district they are running the party their way. They will either follow discipline or leave and join some other outfit. I am not going to tolerate this,” Banerjee said at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday.
The truck owners alleged that the extortion takes place when drivers park their vehicles and wait for their turn for customs inspection. They said more than 300 vehicles cross the land port every day.
They alleged that two local TMC leaders and some armed men collect ₹2500 from every driver. In addition, the truck owners have to pay ₹140 as parking fee to them.
“Local TMC leaders Prasenjit and Chandan Ghosh and their associates collect the money. Whenever a driver refuses to pay he is beaten up or the battery is taken out of the vehicle,” Abdul Malek, president of Gour Truck Owners’ Association, said.
“Truck drivers or owners are not forced to pay parking fee to political parties anywhere in India. But at Mohdipur land port we have to pay ₹140 and ₹2500 as ‘Gunda tax’ (protection money),” he said.
“We complained to the district magistrate and superintendent of police but nothing happened. Now we have planned to bring the matter to the notice of the chief minister during her Malda visit,” he added.
Ajijul Islam, another truck owner, said: “TMC-backed goons collect more than ₹2-3 lakh every day only as parking fee.”
“The protection money runs into crores. If this is not stopped many truck operators will stop visiting Mahadipur land port,” Islam said.
Incidentally, Prasenjit Ghosh’s wife Lipika Ghosh Barman is the head of the TMC-run English Bazar panchayat samiti and Chandan Ghosh’s wife, Krishna Sutradhar Ghosh, is the pradhan of the TMC-run Mahadipur gram panchayat.
Prasenjit Ghosh denied the accusations.
“The allegation is baseless. It is being raised to malign the party on the eve of the chief minister’s visit,” Prasenjit Ghosh said.
Chandan Ghosh could not be contacted.
Opposition parties condemned the ruling party’s leaders as the extortion allegation cropped up.
“I don’t know how anyone can collect parking fee within 500 metres from the international border. I am going to raise this in Parliament,” Khagen Murmu, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Malda (North) seat, said.
Congress legislator from Manikchak, Mottakin Alam, said the TMC district leadership is indulging in extortion.
“I have information that more than ₹2-3 crore is collected from this land port every month. The chief minister should know what is going on in Malda,” Alam said.
Malda district magistrate Rajarshi Mitra and superintendent of police Alok Rajoria refused to comment on the issue.
Mausam Benazir Noor, TMC district president, said if the allegations are correct then the party will take action against its leaders.
“The administration will take its own steps,” Noor said.
