Kendrapara: Police Sunday arrested two persons on the charge of illegally unloading rice meant for the mid-day meal (MDM) scheme in a godown at Bihari Chowk in Thakurpatana under Sadar police limits, said SP Dayanidhi Gochhait.
Police also seized 102 rice bags from the godown and 398 bags from the truck. The accused were identified as Arun Kumar Mohapatra, the truck driver, and Tarani Kumar Sahu, the manager of a contractor.
Cuttack-based Beekey Enterprises has taken the contract for MDM rice supply in the district. The agency authorised Udaya Chand Biswal to look into the supply and the latter engaged Tarani as manager for Derabish block.
As pert MDM guidelines, the contractor has to lift the rice from FCI godown and transport it directly to the delivery point (school).
In case of adverse weather, the contractor has to take the permission of the district nodal officer, MDM, to unload the rice in a godown. However, this norm was flouted in this case.
The duo was booked under Sections 406, 409 and 34 of IPC and remanded into jail custody after their bail petitions were rejected by a court.
MDM nodal officer-cum-district education officer Sangram Sahu said Saturday 500 bags of MDM rice were lifted from the FCI godown. The consignment was loaded on a truck and was going to the delivery point with all valid documents.
The additional BEO of Derabish, Rabindra Kumar Behari, was escorting the rice-laden truck. But as the schools were closed Saturday noon and the next day was Sunday, the consignment couldn’t be delivered at the school point, Sahu explained.
Hence, in the presence of the additional BEO, the rice bags were unloaded at the godown though it was not earmarked as a store point by the education department, the nodal officer said, adding no pilferage was committed.
“Everything was done as per guidelines. Don’t know why police arrested the duo,” Sahu claimed. PNN
