Bargarh: Allegations of false entries in paddy procurement have surfaced in Odisha’s Bargarh district, leading to commencement of a probe into the matter by the Civil Supplies department, sources said Friday.
The controversy erupted after it was alleged that a single truck delivered paddy to two rice mills within a span of five minutes, a source said.
The alleged irregularity occurred at the Kharamunda mandi in the Bada Baushen area of Bijepur block in Padampur sub-division of the district, the sources informed.
Chief Civil Supplies Officer Bibhu Prasanna Acharya constituted a team under his leadership, along with the assistant civil supplies officers of Bargarh and Padampur, to investigate the matter. The team visited the concerned mandi Wednesday and conducted a preliminary inquiry. The team is preparing its investigation report, the sources said.
Sources further said that the cultivated paddy continues to lie in various mandis awaiting sale. Meanwhile, paddy that has not reached the mandis is allegedly being routed directly to certain rice mills through middlemen. Departmental employees are accused of making false entries in official records to facilitate such transactions, sources added.
Adviser of the Sanjukta Krushak Sangathan Ramesh Mahapatra said, “False entries in paddy procurement are not new and occur every year.” Despite repeated complaints by farmers’ groups, no exemplary action has been taken, he alleged.
Mahapatra said, “Kharamunda incident is a glaring example of irregularities in the procurement system.” He alleged there is no transparency in government paddy procurement. He also alleged that CCTV cameras and vehicle tracking systems have “failed completely.”
According to him, such false entries take place with the knowledge of officials, millers and procurement agencies, and involve politicians and traders. He demanded meaningful action against those responsible.