Several truck drivers and private car owners in Durgapur town have alleged harassment by youths forcibly collecting money from them in the name of Kali Puja subscriptions.

Truck drivers carrying industrial materials to factories in this industrial hub said they were being forced to shell out anything between Rs 100 and Rs 500 depending on the size of their vehicle.

“I have already paid Rs 400 as Kali Puja chanda at four places in the town. Today (Friday) I was stopped by some youths who asked me to pay Rs 300, which I couldn’t afford. They refused to allow me to move and so I parked my vehicle along the roadside,” said Bablu Yadav, a truck driver.

Bablu was coming from Sambhalpur in Odisha and the cash he was carrying to meet expenses on road was almost exhausted, he said.

“The truck owner gave me Rs 2,000 in cash as travelling costs, including food. I have already paid Rs 400 towards subscriptions. I am driving for two days and have almost exhausted my money,” he said.

He finally approached a police team patrolling the area. Police chased the youths and picked up two of them.

Private car owners said they were being forced to shell out between Rs 50 and Rs 20 at various locations in the town as Kali Puja chanda.

“I was going to visit Durgapur barrage with my wife and daughter in my car. Youths at two locations in Dumurtala and Birbhanpur stopped me and asked for Rs 50 each time,” said Ranjan Das a trader.

Ranjan said the youths blocked his way at Birbhanpur when he refused to pay them. “I told them that I paid Rs 20 as Kali Puja subscription a few meters away and won’t pay again. They refused to let me move. I had to pay Rs 20 again,” he said.

Asked, some youths stopping trucks for chanda, said: “What is wrong in it?”

“We take money only once a year for Kali Puja. What is wrong in it? What will you say when police collect bribes from truck drivers round the year,” a youth told this reporter.

Police said they had beefed up patrolling in industrial areas. “We are taking stern actions against such complaints. We have arrested some youths for harassing people,” said Dhrubajyoti Mukherjee, assistant commissioner of police, Durgapur.