A syndicate racket operating at Sonahat Land Customs Station (LCS) in International Trade Centre Golakganj along the India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri district has come under the scanner after a phone recording of two businessmen went viral on social media.
The recording revealed how the syndicate members were extorting money from the traders and truck owners who were carrying stones to Bangladesh.
The syndicate, which has been making headlines for its illegal activities, reportedly collects more than 10 lakh rupees every day by charging 10,000 rupees from each dump truck as a special pass fee. The syndicate also blocks the entry of other trucks who do not pay them and creates a commotion at the trade center.
The leader of the syndicate Jamirul Hoque, Ali Hussain, Tapan Dakua, Mofidur and Dipen Pradhani have been accused of smuggling stones to Bangladesh without paying any taxes or fees for months.
The traders and truck owners have expressed their frustration and anger over the syndicate's activities and have demanded action from the police and administration.
However, the police have remained silent and inactive on the issue, raising doubts about their complicity with the syndicate. Some sources have claimed that the police receive a hefty amount of money from the syndicate circle as a bribe.
The Sonahat Land Customs Station (LCS) at International Trade Centre Golakganj was inaugurated in 2014 by then chief minister Tarun Gogoi as a part of an agreement between India and Bangladesh to boost bilateral trade and commerce.
The trade center was supposed to have a police station, a customs office, bank branches, satellite telephone services and a guesthouse, but none of these facilities have been set up yet. The trade center has become a hub of illegal activities and corruption, tarnishing the image of Assam.
The current chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has vowed to make Assam a syndicate-free state and has taken several steps to curb such rackets in other sectors. However, his promise seems to be hollow in the case of Sonahat LCS, International Trade Centre Golakganj, where the syndicate continues to operate with impunity and harasses the genuine traders and truck owners.
The people of Assam expect the chief minister to take swift and stern action against the syndicate and restore law and order at the trade center.
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