Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit the nail on its head when he said that ‘syndicates’ have become the bane of West Bengal. ‘Syndicates’ are the Trinamool-sponsored-and-led cartels of suppliers of low-grade construction materials and unskilled workers. Both the contractors and commoners alike are forced to source these from them.

These ‘syndicates’ emerged in the late 1990s when Bengal started experiencing a moderate real estate boom. With unemployment rife and no prospects of new industries coming up in the state, the Left Front encouraged the unemployed and unemployable (thanks to the Left’s education policy) youth to form groups to supply construction materials to real estate promoters and even ordinary citizens constructing their houses.

Thanks to the patronage of the rulers, these groups, which came to be known as ‘syndicates’, started forcing contractors and citizens to source building materials and construction workers from them. Eventually, they started supplying poor quality materials and forced contractors to employ unskilled workers.

Once the Trinamool Congress swept to power in 2011, the tyranny of these ‘syndicates’ assumed epidemic proportions. Modi was absolutely right when he said at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on Sunday that Bengal’s ‘Syndicate Raj’ was directly responsible for the collapse of the Vivekananda flyover in the city that claimed 27 lives and maimed dozens.

Probes by experts have revealed use of inferior quality building materials, poor workmanship and haste in construction led to the flyover collapse.

What is alarming is that all other infrastructure projects across the state are being compromised by the ‘syndicates’ which are, if not manned by low and mid-level TMC leaders, at least enjoy direct patronage of the party’s senior leaders. In fact, senior TMC leaders, including some of Mamata’s closest aides, often vie and clash with each other for control over these ‘syndicates’.

The enmity between TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and party MLA Sabyasachi Dutta over control of these ‘syndicates’ for supplying construction materials to builders in the Rajarhat-New Town area is well-known in Bengal.

An investigation carried out by a local English daily revealed that all major infrastructure projects in and around Kolkata, the construction of flyovers, overhead and underground Metro Rail, and roads and bridges are being held hostage by these ‘syndicates’.

Engineers at these projects revealed that they are forced to purchase inferior quality construction materials at costs higher than the market rates from the ‘syndicates’, and to hire unskilled workers from them. As a result, they said, the quality of construction is poor.

Since the builders are forced to pay more for the materials purchased, the cost of all projects go up. A consequence of this ‘Syndicate Raj’ is that real estate prices in Bengal are higher than other states in India. As another investigation by the same local English daily revealed, apartments cost at least Rs. 300 per square foot in Bengal, which is more than their actual price, since builders pass on the extras imposed on them by the ‘syndicates’ (high price of construction materials and short-supplying these materials) to the consumers. Thus, apartments in Rajarhat-New Town cost about 20 to 30% more than apartments in the well-developed Noida, near Delhi.

TMC leaders like Sabyasachi Dutta acknowledge that ‘syndicates’ are a reality and crucial to winning elections. He also said that in Rajarhat-New Town alone, as many as 20,000 unemployed youth have been provided livelihood by the cartel of ‘syndicates’ that he controls. “The TMC government wouldn’t survive if it can’t provide livelihood to the youth,” he added.

In the absence of industries and employment avenues, combined with poor education system and infrastructure (the legacy of the Left) that churns out lakhs of unemployable young boys and girls in Bengal every year, ‘syndicates’ and other such illegal avenues have become the sole hope for these unfortunate youth.

What Exactly Is The Syndicate Raj?

• Syndicates are cartels formed by the Trinamool strongmen to force builders to source building materials from them.These syndicates enjoy direct patronage of senior Trinamool leaders.

• Syndicates supply inferior quality materials at higher prices to the builders.

Consequently, the quality of construction of critical infrastructure projects in Bengal is very poor.

• Builders pass on higher costs of apartments to the buyers; thereby apartments in Bengal are priced considerably higher than the neighbouring states.

• Syndicates, who control lakhs of young men all over the state, help politicians win elections by threatening and terrorising ordinary voters. They also supply manpower to rig polls, as happened during the municipal polls in Salt Lake (an exurb of Kolkata) last year.