Centre vs Bengal again: HS writes to state over not allowing Indo-Bangladesh truck movement

The confrontation between the Centre and West Bengal over COVID-19 fight intensified further on Wednesday(May 6) with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sharply reacting to the state government's "unilateral action" to not allow truck movement through Indo-Bangladesh border, saying it is hampering India's international commitments and in violation of the Constitution of India.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla shot off a letter Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha saying it was also in violation of the COVID-19 lockdown guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act when specific instructions have been given on April 24 to allow cross land border transportation of essential goods through all Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Bangladesh borders.

The state and the Centre were on a collision path in the past couple of days with the MHA despatching two inter-ministerial central teams to seven districts in the state to report about the ground situation on COVID-19, which the state found fault with for not taking it into confidence in advance. The Centre also accused the state of not reporting the cases and deaths properly, a charge the state had denied.

"The unilateral action on the part of the government of West Bengal to stop the cross land border movement of essential goods would have larger implications for the Indian government with regard to its legally binding international commitments. This act of the state Government of West Bengal, amounts to violation of the orders issued by the MHA under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 as well as articles 253, 256 and 257 of the Constitution of India," it said.

Directing the state to immediately allow cross land border transportation through all Indo-Bangladesh borders without any further delay, he said a large number of trucks carrying essential supplies bound for Bangladesh are stranded at different border crossing points in the state while a number of drivers returning from Bangladesh have not been allowed to enter resulting in them stranded in the neighbouring country.

He said a compliance report on the opening of cross land borders should be sent to the MHA by Wednesday itself.

Bhalla pointed out that it has been clearly spelt out that states will not stop the movement of cargo for cross-border land trade under treaties with neighbouring countries in the new guidelines issued as part of the lockdown. However, he said the MHA has not received the compliance report from the state government of West Bengal," he said.