On June 1 morning, vehicles stood bumper-to-bumper on the EM Bypass and several roads leading to it as around 1,200 truck drivers and their help blocked the artery’s crossing with DC Dey Road, off Silver Springs, for close to four hours. The drivers alleged they were being forced to pay extortionists in the Dhapa dumping ground and were often assaulted if they refused to do their bidding. Metro focuses on the racket minting money in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation-owned dumping zone

Inside Dhapa

A Citu leader, also an employee of the CMC, has the entire dumping ground under his thumb. A source said the man built his clout when he was posted there. “Though he has long been transferred to a civic facility in Hatibagan, his word is still law on the dumping ground,” said the source. Metro is not naming the leader as he could not be contacted for comments.

The leader, according to some, runs his writ through a man known in the area as Gupta. “Even the mayor and the municipal commissioner can’t get things moving if the leader does not allow garbage trucks to dump their load,” said an official who did not want to be named.

What are the leader’s earnings from Dhapa? The civic body has stationed two bulldozers in the dumping zone and allots 600 litres of diesel daily for each.

“It’s has been the unwritten rule to press one bulldozer in service. The entire quota of fuel for the other is sold at a premium and the money goes to the leader’s pocket. Besides, every contractor hired to dump garbage is forced to pay Rs 30 per truck per trip to the leaders’ henchmen,” said the official. Around 300 trucks hired by contractors ferry garbage to Dhapa every day.

Outside Dhapa

The Dhapa dumping ground and five surrounding settlements — Durgapur, Sairabad, Ananta Matal, Alupota and Khanaberia — are together known as Dhapa Square Mile. It falls within CMC ward 58.

The entire area, home to around 25,000 people, is the fiefdom of Tarak Mondol and Manik, residents of Durgapur.

The duo are said to be operating under the tutelage of CPM leader Amal Majumdar, who denied the charge. “I have come to know Tarak from my long association with the peasants and fishermen of the Dhapa area. I have no idea whether he is an extortionist or not,” said Majumdar.

The CMC spends over Rs 25 crore every year to relay roads in the Dhapa area for smooth movement of the heavy trucks carrying garbage. Sources said Tarak forced contractors hired for the job to source brick pieces, used to relay the roads, from him.

Tarak gets his supply of brick pieces from the garbage hillock. A band of 30 labourers, on Tarak’s payroll, segregates the pieces from the garbage.

“We are forced to cough up Rs 50 per truck per day to dump garbage at Dhapa. The extortionists inside the dumping ground take Rs 30 and the rest is pocketed by Tarak’s men outside. Tarak shares the money with a number of local political leaders,” said a contractor on condition of anonymity.

The immediate provocation of the June 1 Bypass blockade was an alleged assault by Tarak and his men on two truck drivers, residents of Alupota and Kasba. The civic body had awarded a Rs 1.75 crore contract to a private party to clean a canal flowing past Dhapa of hyacinth.

Tarak allegedly forced the contractor to get the work done by his men. But since he did not own a vehicle, he was said to have arm-twisted drivers of the trucks ferrying garbage to carry the water hyacinth to the dumping ground. When the two drivers protested, Tarak’s gang allegedly set upon them.

Tarak was arrested following the blockade.

Mayorspeak: “I often hear fuel is being pilfered in Dhapa but no one gives me any specific proof. If I get proof I will certainly take action,” said Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharayya.

— A STAFF REPORTER