Selling out to syndicates

The Assam government is seeking action plans from some departments as to how to go about checking the smuggling of various extracted resources and commodities, at a time when it is common knowledge how extensively these departments have sold out to illegal syndicates. With media reports detailing the rampant smuggling of commodities like coal, forest produce, betel nut, liquor and also cattle from the State, Dispur now wants the departments concerned to regularly carry out ‘enforcement drives’ and put in place a ‘robust mechanism’ to review the efficacy of such drives and how the officials performed. It is learned that the Home department wants the onus to be on the departments to take action, with the State police standing by to assist. In particular, the Finance department is being tasked to see whether vehicles taking out extracted resources like coal have valid GST papers. This is interesting. Middlemen and syndicate operatives have already breached the much-vaunted, digitally ‘foolproof’ GST system. The reports indicate that tactics are being employed like extortion of goonda taxes at ‘source’ before the commodity is loaded onto trucks, and thereafter fake GST papers are generated to spirit the trucks out through inter-State check-gates at Sagoliya and Srirampur. But it is too much to believe that the ‘safe passage’ to trucks with illegal consignments is possible without the complicity of concerned departmental officials and the police, as well as blessings of the political system. The occasional seizure does make headlines, like that of several betel nut laden trucks at Jalukbari in Guwahati recently; reportedly, the investigation of this case in Barak Valley and Mizoram has revealed some of the firms shown in the GST bills to be bogus. Pushed on the backfoot by allegations about shielding illegal syndicates, the ruling BJP has dubbed check-gates and syndicates as “a Congress signature” when that party was holding the reins. Addressing the press last month, the State BJP claimed that ever since the incoming Sarbananda Sonowal-led government in 2016 started getting tough with syndicates, hundreds of trucks illegally transporting coal, betel-nut, fertilizer, cattle, etc., have been seized, which in turn has boosted revenue collection. The latest figures for the year 2018-19 claim that Rs 13,973.01 crore was collected by the Finance department, Rs 737.55 crore by Transport department and 2,562.8 crores by Mines and Mineral department on the back of continuous increases in the previous two fiscals. Surely, the departments can do much better, but can (or will) they? The State government has now asked the Transport department to pull up socks by conducting random checks and ensuring strict compliance with the new Motor Vehicle Act; similar directives have been issued to Customs and Excise, Animal Husbandry and Forest departments to take action against illegal consignments. The State BJP claims that unlike the proactive stand of its government, the previous Congress regime “never took any action against syndicates”. But the very fact that syndicates continue to flourish in Assam punctures the ruling party’s claim. Of late, media reports have been highlighting the depredations of the betel-nut syndicate with their mafia links extending to the national capital region and Hindi heartland States having a high demand for supari. Incidents of the hijacking of betel nut transporter trucks and abduction of drivers and handymen show how criminal gangs are having a free run in the State. As for the corrupt section of foresters, it has been well nigh impossible so far to prevent them from selling off the very timber, animal parts, forest produce and stone chips under their jurisdiction which they are supposed to protect. The Excise department makes periodic noises against bootlegged Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from Arunachal and Meghalaya transported and stocked illegally in Assam with fake labels. This would not be possible without a rogue section of Excise officials colluding with smugglers and shortchanging their own department. Revenue running to crores of rupees is being lost thus to the State exchequer. The suspicion grows stronger that most of this black money goes to oil the wheels of party apparatus and activities, given that government scheme monies are getting progressively difficult to skim off with more stringent accountability norms and digital monitoring practices. It is good that the State government is demanding action plans from departments to clean up their act and bring in more revenue. But even more than curbing the corrupt tendencies of officials addicted to bribes, the challenge is to reduce the dependence of the political system on unaccounted slush money.