One month after the flood, a border is still under water

Bongaon in North 24-Parganas or Duttaphulia in Nadia have been known as smugglers’ towns. The floods around this time last month had brought the trans-border activities to a halt but smuggling syndicates are putting their operations back on track.

With dozens of border outposts (BOP) manned by BSF personnel having been inundated, effective vigilance has virtually ceased to exist. “They are like sitting ducks now,” says a member of a syndicate in Bongaon who adds: “Not that we don’t operate at normal times. But the floods have come to our advantage, be it for sending goods across the borders or for sneaking in people from the other side.”

The official trade from Petrapole border point having been suspended indefinitely, demands for various grocery and edible items on the Bangaldesh side have peaked. Under normal circumstances, huge quantities of onion, potato, fruits, salt, sugar and other items of daily consumption are transported through this border point. Most of these items are now finding their way through the unofficial routes. The volume of clandestine trade has multiplied.

Cycle van rickshaws, the principal carriers of goods for smuggling syndicates, are running overtime clogging the roads that have just surfaced from beneath the water. “There are about 10,000 cycle van rickshaws in this small township,” says a puller as he blinks smilingly: “You must know why.” The “line” (the code word for trafficking routes) was always open, he says, barring about a week when there was tremendous current in the water.

The cycle vans are used manly for dumping goods at vantage points in the outskirts of the town from where the country boats ferry the goods to the other end. The border guards are at a disadvantage. With just a handful of country boats at their disposal, they not only fail to mount a close watch but even when a suspicious boat is spotted it becomes difficult to catch up.

“The non-availability of speed boats is a serious hurdle,” admits a BSF official. “Besides, consider the fact that dozens of BOPs like Tentulia, Kalanchi, Pipli, Jhoudanga, Angreil, Bonberia, Gunarmath, Kalyani, Jayantipur, Ramchandrapur and Sutia are still inundated.”

Jagdish Singh, a company commander, however, denies that there is any escalation in the clandestine trade. But he admits a sharp fall in arrest and seizure. Normally, the BSF unit at this point seizes contraband worth about Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh every month and arrests about 150 persons for unauthorised entry. Since September 29 we have arrested none because of the floods. However, the jawans are mounting patrols round the clock and Singh hopes that things would soon become normal.