Plagued by fake note hubs in state, TMC supported UAPA amendment in Parliament

The Trinamool Congress has opposed almost all the legislations brought by the UPA, its estranged partner, from FDI in retail to pension bill. But the party wholeheartedly supported an amendment to Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, due to economic compulsions in West Bengal.

The bill, that seeks to check all activities threatening the economic security of the country, was passed by the Lok Sabha last week with support from the Trinamool.

"In the last two years, fake Indian currency notes (FICN) of face value about Rs 2 crore have been seized in Bengal. The money is brought to India for economic subversion," said Saugata Roy, Trinamool MP and a former minister of state in the UPA government.

According to BSF sources, 44 Indian nationals and 13 Bangladeshis were caught indulging in FICN trade by the BSF in 2011. In the first eight months of 2012, 46 Indians and 18 Bangladeshis were caught by the BSF for the same offence.

The NIA, after its formation, formed 12 teams to probe FICN cases in nine states—West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana.

Malda in north Bengal has become the hub of the illicit trade, with scores of "syndicates" working there, sources said. Central agencies have even found a Bangladesh-Malda-Delhi route through which the fake notes travel.

"We are very concerned about the growth of this monstrous trade. Before moving the bill, the central government wanted to know our stand and we gave them full support,'' said Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee.

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