KOLKATA: A mechanism needs to be developed to keep tabs on the movement of cargo vessels from Bangladesh to Kolkata as part of the Indo-Bangladesh trade protocol, the Navy feels. After necessary formalities at Hemnagar on the Indo-Bangladesh border, the vessels - which are actually large barges - pass through the fringe of the Sundarbans to Namkhana and northward to Budge Budge and Kolkata. The Navy had wanted to keep a tab on these vessels using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) but they couldn't be based at Behala due to problems of land acquisition.
"This movement through the Sundarbans is unchecked. Nobody knows whether they stop anywhere or unload anything. We require a mechanism to check the movement of these ships. If they stop somewhere, they should explain why they did so. On any day, you will find several of them in the Sundarbans area between Hemnagar and Namkhana. Technology is available to monitor movement of ships.
A small chip and a transmitter can keep agencies informed whether a ship is moving or if it has stopped somewhere. We feel that some sort of check is necessary," Commodore Ravi Ahluwalia, naval officer-in-charge, West Bengal, said on Wednesday on the eve of Navy Day.
Previously, the vessels would enter India through a point known as Biharikhal and then travel directly through the central part of the Sundarbans to Namkhana without any checks by customs or immigration authorities. The distance they covered between Biharikhal and Namkhana was 156 km. The first checks were carried out at Namkhana. It was the Navy which insisted that this unchecked movement should be stopped and the ships be made to pass through a check-post at Hemnagar. Environmentalists also raised a protest following which any direct movement from Biharikhal to Namkhana was stopped. The distance increased from 156 km to 225 km and the barge operators weren't too happy.
"We are working to develop a mechanism for this but the pace is slow. The process of installing transponders of fishing boats is also going on. The fishermen should realize that the transponders can come in very handy if they are nabbed without reason by Bangladeshi authorities. The transponders can prove that they are in Indian waters. Though direct movement from Biharikhal to Namkhana is not allowed officially, nobody can say for sure if some vessels do sneak through. The area is under the jurisdiction of the marine police. The ships are granted a 14-day permit and this is also relaxed at times. There are no checks of what they do in this time. Even if they halt on the way, they should be in view of marine police stations. The authorities should know exactly how many ships are moving between Bangladesh and India," Ahluwalia added.
The Navy had wanted to keep tabs on the movement of these ships using UAVs. For this six acres were sought at the Behala airport. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) even agreed to hand over the land but this was no possible due to encroachment. "There is encroachment at the southern end of the airfield and AAI isn't able to wall up that section. We also have to extend the runway and this isn't possible unless the encroachers are evicted. This is why our plans fell through. There are no unused airfields in the vicinity that will serve the purpose. The ones that exist are too far for the UAVs to be operated effectively," the NOIC added.
State home secretary Basudeb Banerjee said that the customs department should be asked to comment on this issue. "I am now in north Bengal and won't be able to comment," he said.
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