The Telangana government has put rice millers on notice that it will consider lifting criminal and other cases against them beside restraining from booking them under the Revenue Recovery Act if they delivered cent per cent dues of custom milled rice by November 30.
The seized mills will also be reopened while allotment of paddy for custom milling will be restored if they met the deadline, Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand told a special meeting of rice millers here on Wednesday.
A release later said that 57,781 metric tonnes of custom milled rice worth Rs. 134 crore was due from 115 rice millers from 2010-11 to 2014-15. Mr. Anand also told the millers that paddy would be allotted to them for custom milling as per milling capacity if 75 per cent of the dues were cleared now and balance 25 per cent by January 31. Those who delivered 50 per cent dues now should complete the remaining process by March 31.
No relaxation will be allowed for millers whose delivery was below 100 metric tonnes. The rice should be delivered in the gunny bags of millers. Remission of cash was also allowed as per the market rates if they were not in a position to deliver custom milled rice.
Responding to their request to exempt them from payment of interest on dues, Mr. Anand said there was no such possibility as the civil supplies corporation was paying interest running into crores of rupees on cash credit owing to purchase of paddy from farmers. He advised the millers to make the best use of the opportunity given to them.
The release added that the total quantity of paddy misappropriated in the five years was 86,025 tonnes. The highest misappropriation was in Nalgonda to the tune of 28,301 metric tonnes, worth Rs. 68 crore, in 2014-15.
