In 2005, when the gates at Wagah were flung open for cross-border trade, the 1,400 porters employed on the Indian side—mostly people from nearby villages—would offload goods from trucks on one side and carry them to the other where they would load them on to waiting trucks. Recently, both governments allowed trucks on either side to cross over to the other side—that is, after the customs check, take the consignment to the entry point on the other side—leaving porters with nothing to do. But no work can’t mean no money, so the trade unions which claim to represent the 1,400 porters have levied Rs 2,000 as ‘displacement charge’ on every truck that passes through the check post.

Rajdeep Uppal of Narain Exim, one of the largest exporters of edibles to Pakistan, says, “They are getting paid without doing anything. We agree an abrupt displacement (for the porters) was perhaps unfair but charging Rs 2,000 a truck is exorbitant, especially when they don’t have to move a limb. We told the trade unions that we are ready to employ the porters and pay them for the loading they do for the customs check, but they don’t agree. These unions are neither affiliated nor recognised but they hold the entire process to ransom.”

Customs authorities at Wagah say that on an average, around 30 trucks go through the check post every day, which translates into a ‘displacement tax’ of Rs 60,000 a day. But the prosperity doesn’t seem to have reached the porters. One of the older hands said, “Before the trucks were allowed to go all the way, we were paid Rs 9 for every sack we carried. Of this, the union men charged Rs 3. It’s the same situation now. Of the Rs 2,000 they charge from the exporters, the unionwallahs cornered a major chunk. They are rich and powerful. One of our so-called leaders has his son studying in Australia. Another has a stake in a transport company.”

... contd.