Around 2,000 labourers staged a joint demonstration at the Petrapole land port on Sunday, protesting the central government’s recent restrictions on imports from Bangladesh through land ports such as Petrapole.
Workers alleged that the move has triggered a drastic fall in daily earnings, pushing them to the brink of a severe economic crisis.
Sunday’s protest marked a rare show of unity across political lines. Labourers affiliated with Left-leaning Citu, Trinamool’s INTTUC, and RSS-affiliate BMS set aside ideological differences to rally together. Their collective demand: a reversal of the Centre’s prohibitions to ensure the continuity of normal bilateral trade and protection of the incomes of those directly and indirectly dependent on this trade route.
The five major labour unions operating at Petrapole have jointly submitted a memorandum to Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, urging him to restore normal trading activity. It also flags the plight of more than one lakh persons who earn their livelihoods from activities tied to the Petrapole port.
The Centre recently introduced a series of trade restrictions through its land customs stations and integrated checkposts, including Petrapole in Bengal. The move prohibits import of a range of goods from Bangladesh such as ready-made garments, processed foods, fruit-based beverages, plastic and PVC finished products (excluding raw materials), cotton waste, and wooden furniture. The stated rationale behind these measures includes attempts to regulate trade imbalances and reassess diplomatic postures, particularly after evolving political dynamics in Bangladesh. However, the brunt of the policy is being felt by daily wage workers and small-scale service providers whose livelihoods are deeply entangled with the flow of cross-border trade.
“The Centre’s strategy is not clear. Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, the relationship between the two countries has soured. But with these new restrictions, it’s unclear whom the Centre is actually trying to punish. Bangladesh hasn’t suffered, but we — labourers involved in loading, unloading, clearing, and transporting goods — are now nearly starving,” alleged Arunava Poddar, president of the Bongaon unit of the BMS.
He added: “On an average, while around 400 trucks carrying export goods enter Bangladesh daily from Petrapole, the number of inbound trucks carrying imports has dropped to just 30 to 40. As a result, nearly 95 per cent of labourers are not getting
work regularly.”
A worker who even a few months ago used to earn ₹20,000 per month cannot earn even ₹5,000, Poddar claimed.
Citu leader Bapi Sikdar accused the government of undermining the port’s role in the local economy. “The government is trying to ruin Petrapole port, the economic backbone of this region,” he said.
Rampada Biswas of the INTTUC also slammed the central government.
“The Centre acquired land and developed infrastructure with promises of jobs for locals. Not only did those promises go unfulfilled, but now they are gradually stripping away our basic means of earning by restricting the very imports that helped us survive,” he said.