Cargo loading and unloading at the Petrapole land port on the India-Bangladesh border has reportedly remained halted for 48 hours amid a dispute between rival factions of the BJP-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), leaving trucks carrying goods from Bangladesh stranded and disrupting traders’ operations.
The Land Port Authority of India (LPAI), however, said the stoppage had not affected import and export operations so far. The disruption is centred on the handling of cargo at the gateway, which is located in Bongaon and is one of the principal overland trade points between India and Bangladesh.
The dispute reportedly intensified after differences emerged between Union minister of state for shipping Shantanu Thakur and West Bengal food minister Ashok Kirtania over control of the BMS workers’ union at Petrapole. Thakur met Petrapole Land Port manager Kamlesh Saini on Monday and reportedly proposed dividing BMS workers into two groups, with separate shares of loading and unloading work allocated to each.
A senior LPAI official said representatives of several workers’ unions attended the meeting. The official said operations were expected to resume from Tuesday, but the proposed arrangement remained unacceptable to sections of the unions by Tuesday afternoon.
Workers’ representatives questioned Thakur’s authority to divide the union and determine how work would be distributed. Rajib Goswami, secretary of the BMS Nagar Committee and a leader considered close to Kirtania, said Thakur had no authority to split the union. Kirtania also opposed the arrangement, saying he would not allow anyone to exploit money earned through workers’ labour.
The dispute follows a change in political control at the state level. The report said loading and unloading at Petrapole had previously been dominated by a Trinamool Congress-affiliated workers’ union. After the change of government, the BMS gradually established control over the work, but internal differences reportedly surfaced over the distribution of cargo-handling opportunities.
Petrapole falls under Chhaygharia panchayat in Bongaon, which is part of Kirtania’s assembly constituency. On October 26, Kirtania visited the border and met the LPAI manager and BMS leaders. A union representative said Kirtania subsequently announced that 78% of loading and unloading work would be allotted to BMS workers, with the remaining 22% going to workers from other unions. The announcement reportedly triggered resentment within the BMS and led to Thakur’s intervention.
A section of BMS workers reportedly stopped work on Sunday. From Monday, trucks carrying goods arriving from Bangladesh were left stranded at the border, causing inconvenience to traders. Thakur said he had intervened as a representative of the Centre and that the BMS had been divided into two groups with work distributed between them. He added that those opposing the decision would have to comply.
The immediate operational issue remains unresolved, with union representatives disputing the proposed division and LPAI officials maintaining that trade operations have not yet been affected. Further movement at the cargo-handling facilities will depend on whether the competing worker groups accept the allocation arrangement and resume work.
