Nagpur traders allege junior political workers extort money using reels, with FDA and police links

Traders in areas of Nagpur district such as Itwari, Vardhamannagar and Kalamna have alleged that some people turn up at shops and warehouses and put pressure on them. The traders say they are not being allowed to do business properly even during festival days. They hold some small-time leaders of the ruling side responsible.

The traders say these leaders walk into warehouses and shops and "blackmail" them in the name of making reels. Traders dealing in grain, grocery and oil are also being targeted. According to the traders, the most surprising thing is that these leaders have contacts with some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and police personnel.

The traders said that as soon as they push back against the leaders, the leaders phone these officials and call them over, and the traders then have to "bow down". They said a new pattern of harassment through false cases has begun. According to them, the small-time leaders keep hovering around warehouses, transport offices and shops all day.

As soon as a truck arrives with goods, they turn up and start demanding that traders show the goods and documents. The traders feel as if these people are not party workers but officials or employees of the FDA and the police department. The traders allege that these people start making reels of trucks, shops and warehouses and then demand money with threats. If the traders refuse, officials of these departments are called in at once, and the officials act on their cues as if the leaders were their bosses.

The traders said officials and employees arrive as soon as an argument with the leaders begins. They feel it is clear that there is collusion with the leaders and that it is decided in advance which establishment will be visited and when. According to the traders, this is going on at a large scale.

The traders said they have complained several times to the Commissioner of Police and the FDA commissioner and have also given information about local officials. They said the matter is suppressed for a while, but then the same thing starts again, especially during festivals.

Traders dealing in grocery, oil, spices, milk, paneer and betel nut are badly troubled. They say the leaders and officials see adulteration in every consignment. According to the traders, in 75 to 80 per cent of cases no adulteration is found when the laboratory test report comes, but in the meantime the goods remain stuck. Traders fear raids because their capital gets tied up and the goods are wasted.

The traders' fear is that the FDA seizes the goods and they stay held until the laboratory report arrives. They do not want goods worth crores to be held during the festival. So they become ready to do anything, and this helplessness is exploited by a nexus of politicians. A lack of unity among traders was also cited as a major reason, since nobody wants to get caught up repeatedly with the police and the FDA.

NVCC president Swapnil Ahirkar said the business climate in Nagpur city is good and everyone has a responsibility to keep it so. He said the practice of getting any business establishment opened at odd hours of the night is not right and spoils the climate. According to him, a delegation will soon meet senior officials and speak to them about taking appropriate steps.

BJP Transport Morcha president Shiv Parmar said that at one-thirty or two in the night some people easily enter warehouses and shops and vandalise them. According to him, this trend is not good for the city. Parmar said small-time leaders are tarnishing the name of their party and also spoiling the business climate. He said traders will strongly oppose this, and that police and FDA officials will soon be met and informed of the situation. Parmar also said this is damaging the image of the police and administration, and senior officials must look into how police and FDA officials get establishments opened at night when small-time people call them.