Malkangiri: Civil supplies department officials recently conducted raids on several rice mills of the district and seized over 19,000 quintals of paddy and rice stockpiled illegally in their godowns, according to a report.
Acting on an order of collector K Sudarshan Chakraborty, officials raided 21 rice mills December 28 and seized 18,958 quintals of excess paddy and 65 quintals of excess rice than what the millers had officially procured from farmers in various mandis. The seizure of excess grain points towards a nexus between rice millers and government officials, said some farmers.
Earlier, it was alleged that the millers cut down up to eight kg of paddy per quintal while buying the crop from farmers at the procurement centres. However, the district administration didn’t bother to take any action. The paddy growers incurred losses due to the nexus between unscrupulous officials of the civil supplies department and millers, said some farmer leaders.
Finally, the administration conceded the matter and conducted simultaneous raids in 10 rice mills at the district headquarters, two mills in Kalimela block, two in Korukonda, two in Balimela, one in MV-7 and four mills in Mathili and Khairaput blocks. While reports from five mills are yet to be received, irregularities were detected in 11 rice mills, it was learnt.
The millers who stored excess paddy on their godowns included Sarada Rice Mill-Tarlakota, Shiv Shankar Rice Mill-Malkangiri, Anukul Modern Rice Mill-Kalimela, Baba Modern Rice Mill-Bhoiguda, Balaji Traders-Kalimela, Jay Bajrang Oil Industries-Malkangiri, Jayshree Rice Mill-Mathili, Laxmi Ganesh Rice Mill-Mathili, SK Enterprises-Malkangiri, Vasvi Modern Rice Mill-Govindpalli, Veer Modern Rice Mill-Jagannathpali.
A report on the discrepancies would be submitted to the collector following which further action would be taken, assistant civil supplies officer Manoj Pradhan said.
Meanwhile, locals demanded criminal proceedings against the millers who duped farmers by procuring their produce at lower price on the ground that the quality of paddy didn’t meet the required standard. PNN
