People of Ganjam district on Sunday praised the effort of District Magistrate Premchand Choudhury for taking action against an official and other persons involved in PDS wheat diversion after conducting a thorough investigation into the irregularities.
On Saturday, Aska division Procurement Officer Arabinda Kothari was suspended for the irregularities on the basis of an investigation conducted by a special team of Civil Supplies officials and Commercial Tax staff members into the alleged 105-quintal PDS wheat diversion to a private flour mill in Ralaba village in Ganjam district on May 27.
Based on the report of the team, a level-1 contractor Maheswar Parida was blacklisted. Choudhury also ordered to initiate appropriate action under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act and other relevant laws against the owner of the flour mill Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, who is reportedly absconding since the raid.
According to the probing officials, 11 trucks loaded with PDS wheat had gone to loading point number-2 from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown on the date of the incident. After the trucks reached at the stockiest point, Procurement Officer Kothari sent two truck-loaded PDS wheat to Ralaba village about which the level-1 contractor of FCI Mohanty was well aware of, they added.
The remaining nine trucks of PDS wheat remained at stockiest point-2 at Aska. In regard to the wheat available at the stockiest point, the district administration reportedly ordered the Sale Tax Department to collect the required sales tax as per the law. The Civil Supplies department with the help of police seized a total 720 quintals of PDS wheat along with two trucks from the spot. Preliminary investigation suggested that the owner of the flour mill used to sell the flour in and outside the State after packing the same in the name of some domestic brand.
According to District Civil Supplies Officer Santosh Kumar Mohanty, when the District Collector got the report that 105 quintals of PDS wheat meant for Aska block was shifted to a private flour mill at Ralab, he immediately initiated action.During the raid, the police seized another 615 quintals of wheat from the mill. Investigation is still on to identify the source from where the remaining wheat had come. “If the probe establishes that the total 615 quintals of wheat are intended for black marketing, stringent action will be initiated,” said Mohanty.