The Bhutanese Leading the way.
There is something wrong with a system in which an informal trade is tolerated for years, unofficial payments become an open secret, and then the same traders are suddenly treated as criminals when enforcement tightens.
That is what appears to be happening with Bhutan’s scrap trade through Jaigaon.
For years, Bhutanese waste handlers have sent recyclable materials to Jaigaon because Bhutan has no domestic industry capable of processing much of what it collects. The trade supports livelihoods while keeping recyclable material out of Bhutanese landfills. Yet instead of creating a transparent mechanism for this legitimate activity, the border has been left to informal arrangements.
The result has been the emergence of what is described as a “Gunda Tax”. A Nu 4,000 payment per truck operated outside any formal legal framework. More recently, demands reportedly escalated to Nu 50,000 and then Nu 10,000 per truck. Five people were arrested after this newspaper reported the alleged extortion.
India needs to take a hard look at what is happening on its side of the border.
The allegations are particularly serious because Bhutanese truckers have alleged that SSB personnel were used to threaten them, assaulted one of them and forced them to sign documents. Three Bhutanese trucks were seized. The drivers further alleged that Indian trucks carrying scrap under similar circumstances were allowed to pass. These allegations require a proper investigation.
If Indian trucks can do the same thing while Bhutanese trucks are seized, India has an enforcement problem.
Border security cannot become a licence for intimidation, and legitimate customs enforcement cannot be selectively applied.
India is entitled to enforce its environmental and customs laws. Bhutan cannot expect those laws to be ignored. But India also has a responsibility to ensure that its agencies and local authorities enforce them transparently and consistently.
Bhutan, meanwhile, must stop relying on informal arrangements.
The Government should urgently engage New Delhi for a formal, government-to-government mechanism covering eligible recyclable materials, documentation, authorised buyers and designated routes. BWMRA has already made that request.
India should respond positively and Bhutan should formalise the trade.
And neither government should allow the scrap trade to remain a playground for extortionists, middlemen or arbitrary enforcement.
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” — Albert Einstein