In a joint operation, revenue officials from Madurai and Sivaganga districts busted a gang which was indulging in adulteration of paddy with brick dust.
The adulterated paddy bags, which were collected from various direct procurement centres, were heading towards the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation godown in Kappalur. Following a specific complaint received by Sivaganga Collector Munusami that a gang was mixing brick dust with paddy in a clandestine manner at a brick kiln, a team of officials from the neighbouring district found that the kiln situated at Angadimangalam was in Madurai district.
When Madurai Collector L. Subramanian was briefed about the adulteration, he despatched the District Supply Officer and other officials from the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation to the spot.
Interrogation with some of the workers at the kiln suggested that they had adulterated at least 500 paddy bags with five kg of brick dust in each bag and were waiting to transport them to the government godown.
Two watchmen of the brick kiln and the lorry driver were detained for further investigation. It is suspected that the adulteration might have been carried out by a gang of middlemen who had access to employees at the DPCs.
Close to 30,000 tonnes of paddy had been procured so far from the DPCs, but a senior official clarified that there was no DPC located near the brick kiln at Angadimangalam. There is a strong suspicion that the gang might have just started the operation. Further investigation is on.
