Basmati : Drivers stranded owing to ban

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 11:- Hundreds of drivers and their helpers of non-Basmati laden trucks, coming from different states, are in trouble staying at Mehadipur land customs' station in Malda, for the last three days, without basic infrastructure.Nearly 300 rice laden trucks are stranded at Mehadipur in English Bazaar due to the ban on export of non-Basmati rice to Bangladesh.The drivers and helpers,who have come from Jharkhand, Bihar , Chhatishgarh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, can neither go to Bangladesh to unload their trucks nor can they return without the permission of the exporters, who hired the trucks for carrying non-Basmati rice.Though more than 250 trucks loaded with export items cross the border through Mehadipur land customs station, the halting station lacks basic infrastructure.The exporters hope that the customs department will withdraw the order to resolve the present problem.The local exporters have already sent a petition to Mr R S Gujral, director general, Foreign Trade requesting to allow export of non-Basmati rice.They have forwarded the petition to department concerned for necessary action to resolve the crisis.The ministry of commerce and industry, department of commerce of the Union government had published the notification regarding the prohibition of export of non-Basmati rice in the public interest on 7 February.The commissioner of the customs intimated the notification to all land custom stations located on India-Bangladesh border in the state on 8 February to stop export of non-Basmati rice to the neighbouring country.