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Put Super Bazar under CBI scanner: MPs

By Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI APRIL 28. Stating that the Cooperative Store Limited, popularly known as Super Bazar, has virtually failed due to "managerial inefficiencies and mismanagement'', the Standing Committee on Food, Civil Supplies and Public Distribution has called for immediately referring the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as well as the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies for probe.

The Committee, in its Fifteenth Report, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on April 23, has ''very strongly'' recommended a thorough investigation into the whole affair of Super Bazar and booking of officers responsible for maintaining the records without further loss of time.

The Committee has pulled up the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for the debacle of Super Bazar which was once a profit earning enterprise and had been running 152 retail outlets in the Capital including four in Noida.

Notably, the sales turnover of Super Bazar was Rs.13,654.73 lakhs in 1995-96 with a net profit of Rs.26.61 lakhs. The turnover declined continuously from 1997-98 onwards and reached the level of Rs.3,713 lakhs by the end of 2000-2001. Super Bazar gained profit till 1995 and after that it suffered losses totalling Rs.62.96 crores till the time it was closed. Last year, the liability of Super Bazar was Rs.32.79 crores.

The Committee, headed by Devendra Prasad Yadav, MP, has stated that ''thus, in a year, the liabilities have almost doubled and the Ministry has remained a silent spectator. The Ministry instead of taking corrective steps has been shirking its responsibility on one pretext or the other''. The Committee has opined that the affairs in Super Bazar resulted in misuse of public money which could have been avoided.

The Committee has strongly recommended that the Government accord top priority for settling the issues of Super Bazar in right earnest by exploring all possible alternatives or should come forward with a revival package for running the branches of Super Bazar.

``In case the Ministry finds it difficult to cope with the problems of Super Bazar, they should reach some decision with regard to running of the store at the earliest so that the rising trend in liabilities should immediately be checked and public money could be saved.''

Expressing dismay over the reply furnished by the Ministry regarding leasing of property of Super Bazar, the Committee has raised serious question over the records and information provided to it terming them as ''not fully reliable''.

The Committee has further stated that it failed to understand why and how the matter was not brought to the notice of the Government earlier. ''This is a very serious lapse on the part of the then Managing Directors and senior officers of Super Bazar and the role of vested interests in this regard can also not be ruled out.''

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