Millions of taka are being milked from trucks laden with imported goods on the Benapole-Dhaka route every day, under the guise of transport workers’ associations and law enforcement agencies.
Trucks en route to Dhaka have to spend Tk4000-5000 for each successful trip from Benapole to Dhaka – bringing the total tally of extorted money to about Tk15 m every day, alleged businessmen and truck owners.
Benapole port sources said, there are at least 15 points along the road in which money is extorted regularly. About 350 trucks with goods leave the border town every day for different destinations – mostly the capital – and all have to suffer a similar fate.
Several importers alleged that the money is being collected by transport workers’ associations and police officials, which, they claimed, results in increased prices of goods in retail.
Mizanur Rahman Khan, president of Jessore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said it is the customers who have to pay the ultimate price for these incidents of extortion.
Nuruzzaman, a senior vice-president of the Customs Cleaning and Forwarding Agents’ Association at Benapole, said: “On the Benapole-Jessore route alone, one has to give Tk200 in extortion.
“A total of 350 trucks take the route every day.”
Complaints against extortions are futile as well, alleged Aminul Haq Anu, vice-president of Benapole Importers and Exporters Association, adding “businessmen have to increase market prices of goods in order to bear the extra carriage costs.”
On allegations of extortion, Alamgir Siddiqui, president of Jessore Motor Workers’ Association, said his organisation “Collects toll, but not extortion” He rather accused police officials of highway extortion.
However, Joydeb Kumar Bhadra, superintendent of Jessore police, denied any police involvement in such incidents but did say they were aware of “other extortions” taking place on the Benapole-Dhaka route.
“We will take necessary initiatives about those allegations of extortion,” he added.
