Sidhu, Amritsar traders demand installation of scanners at Attari border

Following seizures of heroin twice from the Pakistani goods train that brought cement to India, Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu along with local traders has demanded that the Centre install scanners both on the road and rail border routes.

Following seizures of heroin twice from the Pakistani goods train that brought cement to India, Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu along with local traders has demanded that the Centre install scanners both on the road and rail border routes.

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In the past two months, the customs authorities have seized heroin consignments in the cement that came from Pakistan by train. This not only raises a question mark on the trade but has also put traders in a spot of bother as the customs officials question the traders who imported the cement.

In a joint press conference along with the traders, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “There are some forces who do not want the India-Pakistan traders to prosper and they are sending such narcotics. This is leading to problems for traders here.”

The biggest problem is that though the Centre has spent Rs 150 crore on the integrated check post, there are no truck scanners. The absence of scanners is a big problem, said Sidhu.

Demanding that the Centre install truck scanners at both the road and rail border, the MP has written to union home minister P Chidambaram and the railway ministry.

Sidhu said, “It is a sensitive matter and we cannot put the traders in danger. The Centre must immediately install scanners as it concerns national security.”