The district food department raided a rice mill based in Sankari area and seized paddy rice worth about Rs 91 lakh that was meant for custom milling but the miller was trading it in open market.
The rice miller had sold about 14,000 quintals of paddy taken from MARKFED for milling and sold it in the market, officials informed here on Sunday.
The action was carried out under the directive of Collector Thakur Ram Singh, by team of food department officials, including Food Controller Dayamani Minj, Assistant Food Officers R C Gulati and Sanjay Dubey and others.
The raid was conducted in Dilip Impex Private limited, Sankari where the seizure was made.
Officials informed that the mill owner Dilip Agrawal has been booked under Chhattisgarh Chawal Upapti (Udgrahan) Order 2007, Chhattisgarh Notified Goods Trader (Prevention of license and Hoarding) Order 2009 and Essential Commodities Act 1955.
Food department officials further said the millers had not lifted his quota of paddy in first quarter of the year and had also neglected buying paddy in the year 2012-13. The officials during raid found that the millers had mentioned the capacity of his mill as eight metric tonne but had lifted 64000 quintal paddy for the year 2013-14.
“As per the agreement, the firm should have given 42012 quintal rice after the custom milling,” food controller Dayamani Minj said.
The rice miller had not return 12,150 quintal rice, officials said adding, the miller had sold 14,000 quintal paddy in open market that he had taken from MARKFED for milling purpose. During the inspection of the rice mill 4,000 quintal paddy and 1,025 quintal rice was found stocked in mill while according to records these should have 11,000 quintals of paddy and rice. Similarly, the miller committed other irregularities in violation of the custom milling rules, officials stated.