Jalpaiguri, 3 May. The Election Commission of India (ECI) does not want to leave any stone unturned in maintaining law and order in the state in view of the counting of votes for the assembly elections in West Bengal on Monday. In this sequence, the borders of Bhutan and Bangladesh adjoining West Bengal have been sealed 24 hours before the start of counting of votes.
The ban will continue till 6 am on May 5
As per the directions of the Election Commission, the Jalpaiguri district administration has announced that the international borders will remain completely closed for commercial vehicles for 48 hours – specifically from 6.00 am on Sunday, May 3 to 6.00 am on Tuesday, May 5. During this period, no vehicle or driver will be allowed to go from West Bengal to Bangladesh or Bhutan, nor will vehicles be allowed to enter the state from these two neighboring countries.
emergency service and Healthcare is exempted from these restrictions
However, some relaxations have been given. For example, emergency services and healthcare have been completely exempted from these restrictions. Apart from this, tourists who have recently visited Bhutan will be allowed to return to India. Also, citizens who had gone to Bhutan or Bangladesh for work will be allowed to cross the border and return to their country. But, in such cases citizens will have to show valid documents.
There will be exemption for these people also on showing valid documents
According to the instructions of the Commission, citizens who want to visit Bhutan or Bangladesh for tourism can go to the neighboring countries after showing valid documents at the border checkpoint and giving information about their trip plans. Vehicles connected to emergency services will also be exempted. In such cases, entry into or exit from the state through the border will be allowed only after thorough checking of the vehicle and verification of the accompanying documents.
Special ban on Bangladeshi citizens
After the issuance of these instructions, the Kalchini border gate on the Bhutan border in Banarhat has been closed since morning. Jaigaon-Bhutan border is also closed. Apart from this, the India-Bangladesh border at Phulbari near Siliguri has also been sealed. However, in case of Bangladesh border, entry has been restricted exclusively to Bangladeshi nationals.
An instruction issued by Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Sandeep Kumar Ghosh states – ‘Emergency medical services and movement of daily essentials on the India-Bangladesh and India-Bhutan borders will continue without any interruption, but all other means of movement across the border will remain closed for the time being.’
The business of local traders will be greatly affected.
It is believed that the closure of the border will have a huge impact on the business of local traders. Concerns have been raised that local traders in the area may suffer significant financial losses, especially due to restrictions on cross-border movement at Jaigaon and Kalchini borders. Rajesh Pradhan, a local businessman at Kalchini border, said, ‘This area is almost deserted since this morning. If the border gate remains closed for two days, our business will suffer huge losses.
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