4 MLAs of Barak Valley nabbed 11 trucks carrying fertilizers in Masimpur; possible case of smuggling

It is election time and all politicians across the country are busy campaigning for the candidate fielded by their respective political parties. But scenes in Barak Valley is a little different. Late last night, four MLAs from Barak Valley dialed Masimpur Police Outpost and asked the in-charge to look for trucks passing by. The in-charge deployed his Police constables and set up a check post in Masimpur.

All four MLAs – Aminul Haque Laskar (Sonai), Mihir Kanti Shome (Udharbond), Kishore Nath (Borkhola) and Amar Chand Jain (Katigorah) then personally visited Masimpur to take stock of the situation. Aminul Haque Laskar, speaking to our correspondent said, “We got information from reliable sources that subsidized fertilizers are getting smuggled through Masimpur and that is why we have decided to personally visit Masimpur Police Outpost and check what is actually happening here.”

When the MLA’s reached Masimpur they found their source was correct, as 11 trucks carrying urea were detained by the Police. The MLAs asked the truck drivers to furnish ‘chalan’ but astonishingly, none of the 11 truck drivers had any “chalan” with them. “How can vehicles carrying tonnes of urea travel from Jammu and Kashmir to Silchar without chalan,” Kishore Nath questioned the in-charge of Masimpur Police Outpost.

Aminul Haque Laskar added that they have been hearing and reading about illegal smuggling of subsidised fertilizers through Silchar, “These fertilizers are subsidised by the Government of India and are meant to reach our poor farmers living in Karimganj, Hailakandi and Cachar. Instead, these get smuggled out of the country and get sold for a high price,” he said.

The truck drivers admitted that they don’t have challan with them but they assured the agent hired by their owners has the chalan and will get it to the police station, “How will they?” questioned Haque. “These vehicles are registered under the Jammu and Kashmir RTO, so, will the owners come from J&K to Silchar and furnish the chalan,” he added.

All the MLAs urged the in-charge of Masimpur Police station to take all 11 drivers in custody and investigate the matter in details.

It is not yet clear if the fertilizers the trucks were carrying were subsidised urea or not. But what is clear is that 11 loaded huge trucks were plying without any chalan and the MLAs played a pivotal role in detaining them. How did the vehicle reach Silchar from J&K without proper chalan? Is a bigger question that needs serious contemplation as it exposes loopholes in security.