Benapole Land Port: Workers’ union extorting money from freight trucks
Jashore district owners' association of freight vehicles, which transport goods to and from India via Benapole land port, has threatened to cease trade activities at the port unless the authorities put a stop to extorting money from outbound truckers at the port.
On numerous occasions, they had complained about the extortion to the authorities of Benapole port, country's largest land port from which the government earns Tk 5,500 crore in revenue every year, said the association officials.
But without any action against the criminals, the money is being extorted under names of several workers' organisations including Jhikargachha Truck Motor Workers' Union, said Musa Mahmud, general secretary of the association that represents owners of trucks, tankers (non-flammable liquid), tractor trailers and covered vans that transport goods through Benapole, Jhikargachha and Sharsha land ports.
The members of the workers' organisations are openly collecting Tk 150 from each vehicle that enters Benapole port, on way to India with export goods.
The extortionists are clearly violating a government directive that prohibits such collection of money from freight trucks or passenger buses, Musa said, warning that the owners' association would be compelled to stop movement of all export and import freight trucks at the port if the authorities fail to take action against the violators.
During a visit to the port, this correspondent came across workers, belonging to Jashore (Jhikargachha, Sharsha and Benapole) truck, tanker, (non-flammable) tractors and covered van motor workers union, who were collecting Tk 100 from each vehicle entering the port with freight to be exported to India.
They were also collecting Tk 50 from each of the same vehicle "on behalf of India's Petrapole customs authorities".
As to why they are complying with the demands of the extortionists, Esrafil Hossain, a trucker arriving from Dhaka, said they have no other choice as a syndicate in Benapole port area would not let them enter India without them paying the extortion money.
Some people, claiming to be members of Jhikargachha Motor Workers' Union, are collecting TK 150 from export trucks and out of which, Tk 50 is being collected in the name of Petrapole customs authorities in India, he also said.
Alamgir Hossain, general secretary of the Benapole branch of the workers' union, claimed that they have been collecting only Tk 100 from the trucks carrying export goods since August 27.
The collected money would be used for jobless members of the union, he further claimed.
Contacted, Mamun Khan, officer-in-charge of Benapole Land Port Police Station, said they were unable to take action against the extortionists as no one filed any formal complaint with the police station.
After his attention was drawn to the accusation against the workers' union, Pulak Kumar Mandal, upazila nirbahi officer of Sharsha, said action would be taken against any member of the union who are found involved in the extortion.
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