The Andhra Pradesh Lorry Owners’ Association (APLOA) has asked the Union Finance Ministry and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to step in over the reported detention of more than 300 trucks at the Assam–West Bengal border. The association says the consignments carry valid GST documents and that Integrated GST (IGST) has been paid on them.
The trucks are carrying raw petroleum coke (RPC), a refinery by-product, from Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) refineries at Bongaigaon, Guwahati and Digboi in Assam. The vehicles have reportedly been held around Srirampur and Bakshirhat since September 17.
Where the cargo is headed
APLOA general secretary Y.V. Eswara Rao said nearly half the trucks were carrying consignments for Visakhapatnam. The rest were bound for Haldia and Durgapur in West Bengal, Barauni in Bihar and Paradip in Odisha.
APLOA wants authorities to verify 16 trucks carrying RPC for Rain CII Carbon (Vizag) Ltd, based on a vehicle list from IOC’s Marketing division, Eastern Region, and to release them if they are being held without lawful grounds. As an example, it cited an e-way bill for truck AP39VW-1447, which records a taxable value of ₹17.28 lakh and IGST of ₹3.11 lakh at 18%. The consignment was invoiced by IOC, Assam, to Rain CII Carbon (Vizag), with Shiva Transport Agency as the transporter.
The cost of standing still
APLOA estimates demurrage and related losses for transporters and other stakeholders at about ₹1 crore. It warns that further delays could disrupt production and raise logistics costs for consignors and consignees.
P. Venkata Siva Nagaraju, a truck owner from Vijayawada, said three of his newly acquired trucks had been held at an outpost on the West Bengal border for more than a month.
The association accepts that valid papers do not exempt cargo from lawful inspection, but says prolonged detention must rest on stated legal grounds. It has sought disclosure of any written orders, better coordination among GST authorities in the states concerned and uniform procedures for vehicles carrying valid documents.
"Orders from above"
Transporters have alleged that police and GST officials on the ground cited only “orders from above” and served no written order. Some transporters have linked the stoppage to West Bengal’s crackdown on illegal coal transport, arguing RPC is a refinery by-product, not mined coal. The Barauni Calciners Association said earlier this month that West Bengal’s commercial taxes commissioner had assured it the matter was resolved, but the trucks were not allowed through. No official explanation from West Bengal authorities has been reported.
The standoff comes as the GST Council has recommended curbs on transit-state checks. Under the proposed changes, goods in transit may be inspected, detained or seized only by officers of the state where the supplier or recipient is located, and not by transit states. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on October 8 that goods cannot be stopped in between.
With inputs from The Hindu and The Times of India.
Representative image: funky footage / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
