Civil Supplies officials pulled up for procurement ‘irregularities’

Collector tells DSO to inspect PPCs, mills and submit report

VIZIANAGARAM: Members at the Zilla Parishad general body meeting on Friday targeted officials, particularly those of the Civil Supplies Department, for their inaction on reported irregularities going on unhindered at the paddy procurement centres (PPC) in the district.

Soon after the meeting began, Peedika Rajanna Dora, MLA (Salur), pointed out irregularities at some of the centres in his constituency and sought to know the official action taken in this regard.

The claim of officials that 178 PPCs were opened to lift 4 lakh tonne of paddy was proved wrong after members of G.L. Puram and Bhogapuram ZPTCs complained to Chairperson Sobha Swati Rani and Collector Vivek Yadav that not a centre was opened in their respective mandals.

Moreover, some of the members have complained that allotment of PPCs to farmers was improper as they are forced to transport their produce to far off centres in other mandals for sale thus incurring heavy expenditure on transport and labour charges. In order to avoid hardships, the farmers were depending on middle men who were directly transporting paddy to rice mills, they alleged, adding, the officials at PPCs were “managing” to produce truck sheets for billing.

Collector seeks report

Reacting to the allegations, Collector Vivek Yadav asked the District Supply Officer (DSO) to visit the PPCs and also mills and submit a report for action if the millers stocked more than the allotted quota for milling.

The Collector asked ZP CEO Raja Kumari to probe the allegation of Komarada ZPTC member (YSRCP) that the MPDO locked her office room after she complained to the Collector seeking an inquiry into embezzlement of grants by him. The meeting also discussed unfinished school buildings and other issues.