Sonepur: Even as procurement of paddy started in Sonepur from Friday, farmers have alleged various irregularities in registration. As result, middlemen are taking advantage of the irregularities. An investigation into alleged irregularities has started Thursday.
Reports said, the civil supplies department will procure though 62 PACS and 38 SHGs in the current year. The target in the first phase is 23.05 lakh quintals.
Meanwhile, 55,702 farmers have registered themselves which is 8000 more than that of last year.
Though the department assures farmers of smooth procurement via online tokens, the latter are doubtful of the system.
Farmers are producing their land pattas for registration, but the authorities do not go in for checking the category of the land and quantities of paddy produced by the farmers concerned.
The district has a bumper crop, but the government is aiming to buy only 60 to 70 per cent of the harvested paddy. Some traders are managing to get into the system as farmers. They are producing records of fallow land, cotton-producing land and playground as paddy producing farmlands at PACS and SHGS, it was alleged.
There is a need for an investigation into this aspect, farmers alleged. The Collector had ordered a probe into the land status of the registered farmers in September. Officials had conducted field investigation of land of those farming having more than 10 acres.
The investigation revealed that 817 farmers had less land as compared to their documents. Fallow land, cotton-producing land and playgrounds were shown as farmlands in Birmaharajpur, Ulunda and Tarabha block.
Now, Collector Monisha Banerjee has asked the revenue, cooperation and civil supplies departments to examine the status of the fallow land and if paddy was raised in the land. The investigation has started from Thursday.
PNN
