The Tribune – ICP effect: Booming trade, soaring property prices

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Attari (Amritsar), April 9. The Integrated Check Post (ICP) has not only boosted the bilateral trade between India and Pakistan but it has also ushered in good times for residents of this border village and its surrounding areas which had been facing a neglect.

Talking to The Tribune, Manjit Singh, who hails from Jhabal in Tarn Taran and owns a food joint near the ICP, said a number of hotels and dhabas had come up along the GT road ever since the ICP became functional and almost all of them were doing good business. He said the business had almost doubled in Attari and surrounding areas over the last one year. “The land prices have risen to as high as Rs 1 crore per acre, particularly along the GT road on the Amritsar-Attari stretch,” he added.

A tea vendor, Joginder Singh of Ranike village, said the prices had gone up even in villages. “The property prices have soared by 200 per cent in some areas ever since the government acquired 130 acres for the ICP,” he said, adding with a surge in cross-border trade, their income had also gone up.

The town is also attracting investors from other areas. Aman Jaspal, an entrepreneur from Chandigarh, has set up Sarhad, a restaurant specialising in Indo-Pak cuisine, near the border after quitting his job in Norway. Like others, Aman too is happy with his flourishing business here.

However, the ICP has not provided much direct employment to local residents except for 1,500 porters who were already working at the old check post. But, associate business ventures like hotels and transport have generated a lot of job opportunities.

Though no addition has been made in the number of porters at the ICP, their work has increased over the last one year and so has their income. Ajooba Singh, a porter, said there was a lot of work now. But the labour rates had not been increased, he added.

Meanwhile, a section of residents complain that the long queues of trucks have become a nuisance for them. The queue is usually as long as 4 km from the border. Avtar Singh of Rodawala village said they had to face inconvenience as the exit road of their village remained blocked by trucks. Similarly, local shopkeepers complain that the long queue of trucks affects their business as there is hardly any place left for their customers to park their vehicles.

Besides, some local transporters, having political patronage, are allegedly resorting to unfair means by giving priority to their own trucks. Harpal Singh, a truck owner, said: “The local transporters are pushing their trucks inside while the trucks coming from other areas are being made to wait for days together”.

Another truck driver Santokh Singh pointed out that they were made to park their trucks on the left side of the road while the vehicles of local transporters were parked on the right side. “The queue on the right side moves much faster than ours as they are given the priority,” he alleged.

Some truckers allege the local transporters force them to pay a hefty amount to take their goods across the border in their own trucks.

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said he had earlier resolved the matter amicably. “However, if any trader or transporter still has a complaint, he can approach the police,” he added.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130410/punjab.htm#2

The Tribune – Customs officials rely on manual checking; Worse still, railway authorities yet to address the issue of security on the Attari-Amritsar stretch

Perneet Singh & P K Jaiswar, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 10. In the absence of modern security gadgets, the Customs Department here continues to perform security checks manually, even as instances of smuggling in the rail cargo from Pakistan are on the rise.The Railways too is yet to address the issue of security on the Attari-Amritsar stretch.

Days after more than 100 kg of heroin was seized in the cargo from Pakistan, The Tribune team took stock of the procedure followed by the Customs Department to carry out security checks once a goods train from Pakistan arrives at the Attari railway station.

The officials first check the seals of the wagons and then inspect the wagons physically.Thereafter, the goods train leaves the Attari station and moves towards the Amritsar rail cargo facility.The movement between Attari and Amritsar is usually slow.

The train takes about 90 minutes to traverse a distance of 25 km. A section of traders claim this may take three or four hours at times. From Attari to Amritsar, there is no security personnel escorting the train. Customs officials say provinding security is the responsibility of the Railway authorities till the train reaches the Amritsar rail cargo facility.

The scenario is equally dismal at the rail cargo facility that is open on all sides. Anybody can access it without impediment.

There is no security arrangements for either a loaded train or the goods unloaded there.The Customs officials again check the seals of the rail wagons as it reaches the rail cargo facility.

The entire procedure brings to the fore the need for a security overhaul at Attari. An x-ray machine for the rail cargo in Amritsar has been lying defunct for quite some time now. The process to get a new machine is underway, say sources.

Investigations into the seizure of 105 kg of heroin from a goods train reveal that the train reached the Amritsar rail cargo facility at 11 pm on Sunday. But it was handed over by the Railways to the Customs at 7 am on Monday.This means nobody kept a watch on the train for the entire night.

Heroin slipped into cargo between Attari and Amritsar, claims Pakistan

The Controller, Customs, Lahore, Fazal Yazdani, said today that the possibility of heroin being slipped into the rail cargo between Attari and Amritsar could not be ruled out. Talking to the media before returning to Pakistan, he said: “I have learnt that the seal of the wagon was intact at Attari and that it had been broken on the way from Attari to the Amritsar rail cargo.”

He stressed on the need for an escort on the Attari-Amritsar stretch.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121011/punjab.htm#1

The Tribune – Heroin Seizure; Train took ‘unusually’ long to reach Amritsar

Perneet Singh and P K Jaiswar, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 9. Even as the customs authorities are tight-lipped about any breakthrough in yesterday’s seizure of 105 kg heroin in rail cargo from Pakistan, it has come to light that the goods train from which the seizure was made took around four hours to traverse the 25-km distance between Attari and Amritsar.

The goods train arrived at the rail cargo terminal in Amritsar on Sunday night and it remained stationed there for the entire night. The customs authorities smelt a rat after they noticed a broken metal seal on wagon No. 66938 when the unloading of cement bags started on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner, Customs, Vijay Bahadur Singh said that it usually takes a goods train around an hour and a half to traverse the distance between Attari and Amritsar. He, however, said the railways would be in a better position to comment on the delay caused in the arrival of the goods train in question on Sunday.

Prior to this revelation, it appeared that the metal seal on the wagon having the heroin consignment might have been broken somewhere in between Attari and Amritsar. However, the fact that the train remained stranded at the rail cargo terminal in Amritsar has also given birth to the possibility of the seal being broken there.

It has also been learnt that a second drug consignment was seized from a wagon carrying cement imported by a particular trader. However, the intelligence authorities said it would be unfair to hold the trading community responsible for the smuggling.

“It is smugglers based in Pakistan who are exploiting all available routes for pushing contraband consignments into Indian territory,” they said. Sources in the intelligence wing said it was hard to pinpoint involvement of anybody until someone was caught red-handed or there was some strong evidence against anyone.

The latest seizure has also brought to the fore the dismal state of the rail cargo service between India and Pakistan. Even after decades of its start, goods from Pakistan are still imported in rickety wagons and stored in the open here due to lack of proper warehousing facility.

Goods unloaded at the terminal are vulnerable to vagaries of weather and also any mischief by anti-national elements, as some of them are sans boundary wall while others are in bad shape.

Loopholes in security are also glaring. There is no also provision for escorting goods trains from Attari to Amritsar. There is no proper lighting arrangement at the rail cargo facility. Moreover, the cargo terminal is open to all.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121010/main4.htm

The Tribune – Cement import from Pakistan back on track

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 13. Almost a month after it was discontinued, the cement import from Pakistan through the Attari rail route started again today.

The move followed after the Pakistan Customs authorities initiated measures to resolve the issue. The Indian traders had stopped cement import from the neighbouring country last month in view of three instances of heroin seizure in the rail cargo arriving from Pakistan.

All-India Cement Importers Association president MPS Chatha said they resumed the import after Pakistan custom authorities started putting up bottle seals, which are tamper-proof, while locking up the bogies loaded with cement.

The Pakistani authorities also assured their cement exporters that they will take extra caution at the time of loading the cement into the wagons to avoid any such incident, which may threaten trade.

Chatha said the move came following the intervention of Pakistani traders who, alike their Indian counterparts, were suffering losses due to the suspension of the trade. He said now they would receive 50 to 60 wagons of cement from Pakistan on a daily basis.

The traders, however, said they were disappointed with the Indian government as it didn’t pay heed to their demand to ensure foolproof security network with scanners and other required system to curb smuggling of heroin in rail cargo. “We’ve long been seeking a complete overhaul of rail cargo facility, which is open from all sides and is, therefore, vulnerable to vagaries of weather as also any mischief.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120914/punjab.htm#10

The Tribune – Pakistan frees 48 Gujarat fishermen

Manmeet Singh Gill, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 11. Fortyeight Indian prisoners lodged in a Karachi jail were repatriated through the Attari-Wagah check post today. All the prisoners were fishermen belonging to Gujarat. They were handed over to BSF officials by Pakistani Rangers.

A repatriated prisoner, Haider, said he spent six months in jail after he unknowingly crossed into Pakistan territory while fishing. He demanded that both the countries should adopt a lenient view in case of mistaken trespassing by fishermen.

Amir Saida and Allah Rakha said while fishing, fishermen often get pushed towards other country’s territory because of unfavorable water currents. They said even though they had been released, they would not be compensated for the losses suffered in view of their boats being confiscated by Pakistani officials.

“As we take boats on rent, we will have to pay the contractor for the loss when we reach home,” said Allah Rakha. Today’s repatriation was the first step taken by the Pakistan Government to strengthen ties after Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna held a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on September 8.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120912/punjab.htm#3

The Tribune – Another Hindu family leaves Pakistan for good

P K Jaiswar, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 13. Though Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari had announced the constitution of a three-member committee to look into the grievances of Hindus, the move has not stopped migration of families belonging to the minority community from the neighbouring nation.

Another family crossed over through Attari today while saying “goodbye” to Pakistan. Unlike several other Hindu families that arrived for a pilgrimage, this family raised voice against the alleged atrocities and harassment being meted out to Hindus in the neighbouring country. The family claimed that they had given a written undertaking that they would return to Pakistan.

“But, we will not return. I have sold all my property and now I want to permanently settle in India,” said an emotional Mukesh Kumar, who used to run a grocery store in Sibi district of Balochistan province. He along with his wife and two daughters arrived in the Samjhauta Express.

“I had no choice but to leave Pakistan. I know my relatives will have to face a tough time following our migration to India.

They will be harassed. But, that is what happens there. Armed assailants kidnap Hindu boys for extortion and when their demands are not met, they are killed. There are several families who want to leave Pakistan for good,” he said. Mukesh plans to go to Indore to meet his relatives. Tears rolling down his cheeks, Mukesh said, “I urge the Indian government to allow us to settle here.”

A 300-member group of Hindu pilgrims arrived on Monday through the Attari-Wagah land route. The pilgrims will be visiting various temples at Amritsar, Haridwar and Indore. They denied that Hindus were being targeted by fundamentalist groups in Pakistan.

PM should intervene: Congress Chandigarh: The Punjab Congress has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise the issue of alleged atrocities and forcible conversions on Hindus in the neighbouring nation with his Pakistani counterpart.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120814/punjab.htm#7

The Tribune – After hiccups, Pakistan Hindu pilgrims arrive in India

Tribune News Service

Islamabad/Amritsar, August 10. Pakistan Immigration authorities today stopped around 250 Pakistani Hindus from crossing over to India at the Wagah border following a controversy over reports of an exodus of the minority community from Sindh province, but later allowed around 125 of them to cross over to India. The remaining members of the jatha are expected to cross over tomorrow.

The jatha members, who are here to pay obeisance at various Hindu shrines in India, were ‘detained’ in view of the reports that minority community members were planning to migrate to India. They were reportedly made to give an undertaking that they would return to Pakistan and would not stay back in India, it is learnt.

As per the reports, the pilgrims have a 33-day visa for different Indian cities. These 250 pilgrims, who reached Pakistan Customs and Immigration authorities on the India-Pakistan border at 8 am, started crossing over to India only after 2.30 pm as various Pakistan agencies flocked to the Wagah border in view of the reports regarding their migration. Around 125 pilgrims crossed over to India before the retreat ceremony, while the remaining are expected to cross over tomorrow.

Talking to mediapersons, Anup Kumar, one of the member of the jatha, said they would visit Amritsar, Delhi, Haridwar, Indore and Rishikesh. Anil Kumar, another pilgrim, dismissed reports that they plan to settle down in India while stating that “we will die where we were born”. However, there were others who could not hide their sentiments. Ayesha from Karachi literally broke down in front of TV cameras while stating that they would settle down in India if they get asylum.

Kashi from Quetta said the situation there is bad. “Kidnapping, extortion and forcible conversions have become order of the day there.” Dalip Kumar from Quetta also echoed similar sentiments, but they would return to Pakistan as of now.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120811/main3.htm

The Tribune – Install scanner to counter drug smuggling in rail cargo: Sidhu

Manmeet Singh Gill, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 21. Local MP Navjot Singh Sidhu has demanded installation of a high-tech scanner at the rail cargo facility in Attari to check the smuggling of narcotics from Pakistan. Addressing mediapersons here, Sidhu said the two recent seizures of heroin from railway wagons carrying cement from Pakistan on June 2 and July 17 had left traders on either side of the border worried.

The BJP MP also advocated a complete security overhaul at rail cargo facility, besides equipping it with modern infrastructure and adequate storage facilities. Sidhu said he had also written to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram as well as the Railway Minister on the issue. He said he had also sought an appointment with Chidambaram to take up the matter with him.

“A delegation of traders will also meet him whenever possible,” he said. He said he would also arrange an inspection of the railway yard and a meeting between senior railway officials and representatives of the trading community. “The traders can air their grievances and expect positive response during the inspection,” he said.

Sidhu said as cement consignments entered India after being checked by customs officials in Pakistan, Indian traders had no role to play in smuggling of narcotics . “If a high-powered scanner is installed at the entry point, it will help scan every bogey of the train for the contraband,” he said. One such scanner was already functioning at the border with Bangladesh, he said.

All-India Cement Importers Association president MPS Chatha said they had also sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apprising him of the problems being faced by the traders.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120722/punjab.htm#5

The Tribune – Trade via Attari to be resumed today

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 1. Four days after they suspended bilateral trade between India and Pakistan at the new Integrated Check Post at Attari, the striking traders today decided to temporarily resume the trade from tomorrow after the government agreed to one of their major demands while assuring to review others as well.

Talking to The Tribune over the phone from New Delhi, Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce vice-president Rajdeep Uppal said the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) officials had agreed to allow free storage for three days, including the day of arrival, for gypsum, which had been one of their main demands.

Earlier, the CWC was charging Rs 3 per tonne per day as storage charge for gypsum. Similarly, they told the CWC that cement being imported from Pakistan could not be lifted the same day. He said they also raised the issue of entry fee of Rs 200 per truck for goods being imported from Pakistan and that the CWC had assured to review it.

Apart from it, they also voiced their concern over the exporters being levied labour charges. “Though the trucks loaded with goods meant for export are not unloaded, still we have to pay labour charges. We are also paying 25 per cent of it to the CWC as handling charges despite the fact that they provide no service when it comes to exports,” he said.

The CWC officials told the traders that they had entered into a contract in this regard and they would have to seek a legal opinion on this particular issue. Sources said there were also differences between the two sides as to who would take up the matter with labourers as both of them were passing the buck on each other.

Uppal said CWC managing director BB Pattnaik gave them a patient hearing on various issues concerning the trade at the Integrated Check Post and assured them to review their other demands as well within eight to 10 days. He said a team headed by Land Port Authority of India member Mohinder Ranga would reach Attari on Friday and submit a report after looking into the ground realities for a couple of days.

The traders had proceeded on strike, suspending exports to Pakistan and lifting of imported goods, on April 27 to lodge their protest against “excessive handling charges” at the ICP. Subsequently, the bilateral trade between India and Pak suffered a blow with exports coming to a halt and stock of imported goods piling up at the check post. The only movement witnessed in the otherwise deserted ICP was that of trucks loaded with gypsum and cement that are arriving from Pakistan for the last four days.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120502/punjab.htm#1

The Tribune – Trade volume at Attari doubles

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 26. Notwithstanding traders’ protest over “excessive handling charges”, the new Integrated Check Post (ICP) has given a major boost to trade between India and Pakistan. The volume of trade has almost doubled since April 13 when the ICP was inaugurated.

Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) Manager at the ICP Rameshwar says the number of trucks coming from and crossing over to Pakistan has increased. “As far as imports are concerned, the highest we have recorded so far is 192 trucks from Pakistan in a single day. Similarly, talking about exports, the highest number of Indian trucks crossing over to Pakistan has been 175.” This is almost double the number of trucks which used to enter India and cross over to Pakistan via the old check post. On an average, 100-150 trucks arrive from Pakistan daily, though the exports have declined over the past couple of days it being a lean season.

Apart from longer trade timings (7 am to 7 pm), better infrastructure has contributed to the increase in the trade volume. At present, India is primarily exporting tomato and soyabean to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah land route while the import list comprises cement, coal, gypsum, dry fruit, dates, soda ash and chemicals. In the import list, cement and coal are the new additions.

Earlier, traders would import cement through a goods train from Pakistan as the old check post at Attari lacked adequate infrastructure to facilitate its import through road.

Randeep Singh, a leading cement importer, said the ICP would certainly help boost cement imports from Pakistan. “Through the Attari ICP, we can get cement within a week while the rail route took a couple of months,” he said.

Now, trucks carrying goods are parked inside the ICP premises.This has come as a major respite for tourists who throng the border every evening for The Retreat.

The process of computerisation and laying of communication lines at the ICP is underway and will take some time. Similarly, banking facilities are yet to take shape. Traders and porters lament that the labour charges have reduced even though the volume of trade has increased. “We are being paid Rs 1,600 per truckload of tomatoes as against Rs 2,070 paid earlier,” a porter said.

Touching new heights

The highest number of trucks entering into India from Pakistan in a day after the inauguration on the new ICP is 192 while the maximum count of trucks that crossed over to Pakistan stands at 175

This is almost double the number of trucks which used to enter India and cross over to Pakistan via the old check post

On an average, 100-150 trucks arrive from Pakistan daily, though the exports have declined over the past couple of days due to lean season

Apart from longer trade timings (7 am to 7 pm), better infrastructure has contributed to an increase in the trade volume

Traders to halt trade from today

Upset over the “excessive handling charges” at the ICP, the traders today held a meeting under the banner of Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CICCI) and decided to halt the entire bilateral trade between India and Pakistan via Attari-Wagah land route from Friday onwards.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120427/punjab.htm#3