HC seeks state report, ED scan on extortion : Alleged extortion from trucks laden with stone chips in multiple pockets of Birbhum

The extortionists operate at multiple points in Birbhum and collect a huge amount of money from stone chip-laden trucks by issuing fake government receipts

Calcutta High Court.: Tapas Ghosh And Snehamoy Chakraborty   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |  23.08.22:

Calcutta High Court on Monday asked the state government for a detailed report on alleged extortion from trucks laden with stone chips in multiple pockets of Birbhum by using forged government receipts. 

Responding to a PIL filed by one Dhruba Saha, a division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj also directed the state government to stop the practice of alleged extortion and asked it to submit a compliance report within four weeks.

 The court also instructed the petitioner to make the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a party to the case. The court will hear the PIL on November 1.Saha in his PIL alleged that money was extorted daily by a group of people at the behest of some political leaders and police officers. The extortionists operate at multiple points in Birbhum and collect a huge sum from stone chipladen trucks by issuing fake government receipts, the PIL said.

A source said there were around 230 stone mines and 900 crushing units in Birbhum spread over at least four police station areas —  Mohammed Bazar, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Muraroi. Birbhum is the key supplier of stone chips in the state, including Calcutta, for construction projects.

There are at least a dozen government checkpoints to collect revenue located strategically at exit roads from each of the stonebelts in the district. A group of extortionists at these points collect “revenue” by issuing fake receipts. Truck drivers alleged that these extortionists collect at least five times the government fee.

“They force us to pay the money against forged government receipts or DCRs (duplicate carbon receipt),” a truck driver added. A source in the stonechip trade said if the government received Rs 130 as revenue for each cubic metre, the extorted amount is at least Rs 500.A source said these DCRs were product of a political police nexus that gave trucks the “licence” to overload vehicles illegally with stonechips. The petitioner pointed out how the extortion racket was hitting the state exchequer. 

“The picture of revenue loss can be easily understood through the amount of extortion. However, it flourished because of the nexus between a section of influential political leaders and police,” the stonechip trader said. “Considering the gravity of the alleged crime, the Chief Justice’s bench decided to scan the issue in details and directed the petitioner to make the ED party to the case. It also asked all stakeholders to be present on the next hearing,” said a high court source. However, a source in the administration claimed the practice of issuing fake receipts had stopped at least a month ago after multiple raids by the CBI and the ED in connection with the cattles muggling case.

The CBI recently raided the house of Birbhum based stone trader Tulu Mondal, who is allegedly a kingpin of the extortion racket.Last week, Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Roy held a meeting with owners of stone mines and crushing units and asked traders to shut all illegal mines and units. A source said, of the district’s 237 stone mines, around 200 stone mines were marked as illegal as they didn’t have the state government’s environmental clearance. There are also a few illegal stonecrushing units in the district.