Boko: An illegal bricks business was uncovered when a truck loaded with bricks got stuck on a village road in Pukhuripara village under the jurisdiction of Boko Revenue Circle on Saturday. Villagers inspected the truck full of illegal Bangla Bhatta Bricks and informed the police.
The Pollution Control Board of Assam had banned Bangla Bhatta brick kilns and their associated business.
Barun Boro, a local, revealed that smugglers have been utilising the road to move bricks via trucks resulting in significant damage to road. He said, “We warned the truck drivers not to use this road due to the road’s weight capacity, but they ignored it.”
The truck driver, Isfakur Islam, said the bricks were to be unloaded in Shillong. He further confessed, “We don’t need any permit to carry the bricks…everything was settled by the owner Ashadul Haque from Balijhar village.”
In addition, the truck driver confessed to paying various fees during the journey through Meghalaya up to Shillong. At the Jorabat checkpoint, Islam paid Rs 800 at the weighbridge and Rs 100 to the Meghalaya Police. Subsequently, he had to pay an additional Rs 1200 to both the Meghalaya Police and Meghalaya Transport Officers at Borapani.
Islam further revealed that to gain access to Shillong and bypass the entry restrictions, additional payments had to be made. After entering Shillong a fee of Rs 200 was paid to a local union, and further expenses totalling about Rs 2500 were incurred within Meghalaya.
A villager of Balijhar village said that Ashadul Haque has been involved in his illegal Bangla Bhatta Bricks business for many years and has established connections with authorities.
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He further revealed, “Ashadul Haque sells a piece of brick for Rs 13-15 in Shillong, whereas the same piece of brick would be sold in Assam at Rs 3-5.”
Phanindra Nath, the Officer in Charge of Boko Police Station, confirmed that the vehicle has been seized, and an investigation is currently in progress. Nath stated that a case will be registered in relation to this matter.
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