Asansol: Sand from Bihar and Jharkhand is entering Bengal unchecked, causing massive losses to traders in the border district of Birbhum. Local BJP leaders have raised this issue before the district administration and police. It is alleged that when the QR codes on the documents of vehicles arriving from other states are scanned, official data does not appear, raising serious questions about the validity of the invoices.
Sand traders allege that taking advantage of market conditions, attempts are being made to sell sand from Bihar and Jharkhand at much lower prices in Bengal's border districts. They claim that such sand-laden vehicles are entering through various routes in the district, besides the Rampurhat border area. As per district administration directives, sand extraction from rivers has been banned since August 1, along with sand transportation. Traders claim sand supply has dropped and compliant trading requires prior stocking, incurring government taxes and standard costs, keeping prices slightly higher than normal. Complainants state that while documents shown by drivers bear QR codes, scanning them yields no information. Valid consignments typically reveal vehicle, owner, transport source, destination, and invoice validity. However, suspicious invoices allegedly return a 'not found' message upon scanning.
According to sand traders, they are legally stocking sand by paying taxes. However, if external cheaper sand floods the market, it directly impacts legitimate business. Therefore, alongside allegations of fake challans, demands are rising to increase surveillance across district borders and roads to halt illegal sand entry from other states. District police and administration sources indicate the matter is in their cognizance and necessary steps are being taken.
