After nailing down petrol pump owners for using chips to dupe consumers by underwighning fuel, sleuths of Special Task Force (STF) have unearthed irregularity in supply of subsidised kerosene oil.
It is being suspected that fair price shop owners in connivance with government officials of Public Distribution System (PDS) were reaping huge profits by selling subsidized kerosene in the open market or to petrol pumps. Further investigations are on in the matter.
Additional SP (STF) Dr Arvind Chaturvedi, who exposed the petrol pump racket, claimed on Friday that a truck carrying 2.5 lakh liters of kerosene was seized by Fatehpur police some days back. He said that during quizzing of some accused of the petrol pump racket, revealed that an organised syndicate between petrol pump owners and fair price owners was also operational in which subsidized kerosene oil was being sold at high prices.
Oil companies allocate quota of dealers in each district and after the consignment was sent, the same was received in presence of local PDS officials and a person authorised for the purpose. The oil was later distributed amongst fair price shop owners who finally sold it in subsidized rate (Rs 18.94 per liter) to consumers.
Chaturvedi said that the transporation and delivery was made on papers in several cases and the consignment, instead of distributing through fair price shops, has been redirected to petrol pumps or sold in open market at Rs 50 per liter thus making huge profits.
The dditional SPs said that to make a crack down, they identified a oil tanker (UP77A-5080) at Indian Oil pump in Panki at Kanpur on Wednesday evening. The tanker had to deliver the oil at Indian Petroleum dealer in Nawabganj at Unnao. But instead of Unnao, the tanker moved towards Vidhuna in Hamirpur and it was intercepted. On verification, it was found that oil filled in the tanker was already shown delivered in papers at Unnao.
Subsequently, District Magistrate of Unnao was informed of the irregularity and dealer Shiv Shankar was arrested in Unnao. The tanker was seized by the STF and investigations were on to take action against officials and other contractors involved in the racket.