District magistrates were told to dismantle the illegal collection points
JAMTARA: Bhaipo (nephew) tax. Danda tax. Bamboo barricades. Illegal nakas. Highway strongmen from alleged “syndicates” armed with sticks. For decades, drivers of commercial vehicles entering Bengal from Jharkhand said those words defined border crossings more than signboards or toll gates. Trucks slowed. Cash changed hands. Arguments invited threats, smashed rear-view mirrors and punctured tyres. Delays wrecked delivery schedules and ate into earnings. That grind has abruptly eased. Days after BJP assumed office in Bengal on May 9, the state govt issued a zerotolerance directive against “extortion nakas”. District magistrates were told to dismantle illegal collection points and prevent their return. Truckers said the result is visible already. Key crossings along NH-2 and adjoining state roads that once choked under bamboo barriers and unauthorised toll booths are now moving freely. Drivers transporting goods between Jharkhand, Bengal, the NorthEast and Bangladesh said harassment has dropped sharply over the past fortnight. Nearly 50,000 trucks move through Bengal every day, making the state a critical logistics hub connecting eastern India, NE and five transit points into Bangladesh. “Two types of unofficial levies were common in Bengal — Bhaipo tax and danda tax,” said Sajal Ghosh, general secretary of the Federation of Truck Operators Association in Bengal, referring to TMC MP and former CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. “Bhaipo tax has vanished. We want danda tax wiped out completely too.” At Rupnarayanpur near Jharkhand’s Mihijam crossing, truckers said traffic now moves without roadside collection. “It all shut down after May 4,” said e-rickshaw driver Tapan Das. Drivers described payments at multiple points across Paschim Bardhaman and Purulia districts. “If you refused, they stopped and harassed you for hours till you paid. That has stopped,” truck driver Vishal Roy said. Truckers recalled highways lined with bamboo poles and enforcers. “Every few kilometres, bamboo barricades blocked the road,” said Ramesh, a driver resting at a dhaba near Tulin in Purulia. “Ask for a receipt, and they turn hostile. Refuse payment, and they smash mirrors or puncture tyres.” Perishable goods carriers said delays hit earnings hard. “Every hour matters for vegetables, fish and other perishables, but those syndicates did not care if goods spoilt,” said Mohammad Akil Sonu, president of All Jharkhand Driver Trade Union.
