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Journalism of Courage
In 2005,when the gates at Wagah were flung open for cross-border trade,the 1,400 porters employed on the Indian sidemostly people from nearby villageswould offload goods from trucks on one side and carry them to the other where they would load them on to waiting trucks. Recently,both governments allowed trucks on either side to cross over to the other sidethat is,after the customs check,take the consignment to the entry point on the other sideleaving porters with nothing to do. But no work cant mean no money,so the trade unions which claim to represent the 1,400 porters have levied Rs 2,000 as displacement charge on every truck that passes through the check post.
Rajdeep Uppal of Narain Exim,one of the largest exporters of edibles to Pakistan,says,They are getting paid without doing anything. We agree an abrupt displacement (for the porters) was perhaps unfair but charging Rs 2,000 a truck is exorbitant,especially when they dont have to move a limb. We told the trade unions that we are ready to employ the porters and pay them for the loading they do for the customs check,but they dont agree. These unions are neither affiliated nor recognised but they hold the entire process to ransom.
Customs authorities at Wagah say that on an average,around 30 trucks go through the check post every day,which translates into a displacement tax of Rs 60,000 a day. But the prosperity doesnt seem to have reached the porters. One of the older hands said,Before the trucks were allowed to go all the way,we were paid Rs 9 for every sack we carried. Of this,the union men charged Rs 3. Its the same situation now. Of the Rs 2,000 they charge from the exporters,the unionwallahs cornered a major chunk. They are rich and powerful. One of our so-called leaders has his son studying in Australia. Another has a stake in a transport company.
The labour unions arent popular with the authorities either. A top custom official deployed at the checkpost,said on condition of anonymity,Their number is huge. As compared to 1,400 porters on our side,Pakistan only has 200 and they seem to be doing well. Every truck that arrives for customs check is accompanied by a swarm of porters. We simply cant do our checks and surveys with all these porters around.
There are other bottlenecks too. The delays are far too many. Pakistan is ready with a modern truck terminal on its side of Wagah border,but preparations on the Indian side dont seem too good. With our 24-wheel trailers,trucks that come from the Indian side can carry 15 tonnes at one go. Then there is a lot of demand for livestock here but the Indian government has stopped supply,because they dont have a quarantine centre at Wagah, says Sohail Sadiq of Fortune House,a member of the Export Promotion Bureau of Pakistan.
The Indian government has approved a modern Integrated Check Post at Wagah,for which land is being acquired. India exports potatoes,tomatoes,onions,livestock,meat,cotton and corn to Pakistan through Wagah.
