Cattle traders complain of excessive toll at border

RAJSHAHI, Aug 31: After the Eid-ul-Azha, a large number of Indian cattle heads, mainly bulls, are entering the country through Char Majardiar border.

A total of 825 cattle heads entered from India last Wednesday morning.

Cattle traders, however, complained of realisation excessive toll from them by the "beat" leasers. For a pair of cattle Tk 30,000 is now realised as tax from the cattle traders which was Tk 22,000 a week ago.

Kausar Ali, a cattle trader of Char Majardiar area under Paba upazila submitted a written complaint with the Ministry of Home about realisation of excessive toll and renewal charge from cattle traders at two frontier cattle "corridors" of Rajshahi.

Kausar Ali in his complaint informed, in accordance with the policy of the Ministry of Home, he applied for a permit to operate the cattle corridor near Char Majardiar Border Outpost (BOP) for 2019-2020 financial year.

But, mysteriously, he did not get the permission rather it was renewed in the name of another person. After procuring the permit of operating one corridor, the person was allegedly operating two cattle corridors in two BOP areas which "is a clear violation" of policy of the Ministry of Home. Moreover, owners of the beat were realising excessive toll per cattle head.

Kausar Ali said, though the said person applied for the permit of operating one cattle corridor "beat" near Char Majardiar BOP, the concerned ministry "mysteriously permitted" him to operate two corridors- one near the Char Majardiar BOP and another at Majardiar check post area.

A Deputy Secretary of Frontier section-2 of the Ministry of Home had signed the order on May 13 to operate the "beat" corridor till April13, 2020.

Meanwhile, cattle trader Saidul Islam informed, on Wednesday morning he brought 36 cattle heads (bulls) from India. The owner of the beat charged Tk 15,000 for each cow. According to the rate fixed by the government it was to be Tk 1,000 for a pair of cattle and corridor fee was to be Tk 100.

Another cattle trader Shariful Islam informed, leasee of the beat corridor was realising Tk 1,100 as revenue and beat management tax and Tk 19,000 as toll for 'managing administration of India and Bangladesh' for each pair of cattle.

Meanwhile, Mujibur Rahman, Commissioner of Revenue and VAT Commissionarate had recently informed to the journalists that after driving Indian cattle heads to the beat corridor at the frontier Tk 500 is realised as revenue and Tk 20 to Tk 50 as beat management fees per cow.

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