Hyderabad: Minors being used for PDS Rice smuggling

Rajendranagar: In order to escape the law, unscrupulous PDS rice hoarders on the city outskirts are using children and vehicles without number plates to illegally transport grains, that too, in small quantities. This to run business surreptitiously which helps them play safe to beat the rap.

In one such case which came to light on December 9, the Rajendranagar police caught an underaged boy driving a worn out scooter carrying a rice bag – purportedly PDS rice at Pillar No.258, Shivrampally. The bewildered boy called his boss to avert arrest while the police, though reluctantly, initially took him into custody along with rice and drove him to the PS a few miles away.

Generally illegal PDS rice hoarders use underaged children to collect rice from local slum-dwellers of Hassan Nagar, Indra Nagar and Suleman Nagar to shift it to their sheds largely located in the Tata Nagar area known as a bastion of hoarders.

When contacted CI of Rajendranagar K Kanakaiah said, "The patrol police apprehended a person along with one quintal PDS rice while he was illegally transporting it. We booked a case after seizing the rice along with vehicle and are investigating."

However, the apprehended person appeared a minor aged not more than 15 years. As the lockdown robbed the poor of the routine wages and increased school dropout rate manifold, specially in slums and surrounding areas, anxious parents are forced make their children to earn whatever and however, for the family's survival.

This situation favours PDS rice hoarders who use minor children to collect rice from the poor, who tend to sell extra PDS rice supplied by the fair price shops.

"Though the Civil Supplies officials are aware of this, no preventive measures are being taken except a few isolated cases of PDS seizures once in three months. Though the hoarders are also of the risks, they venture out using children and worn out vehicles and less quantity of rice which help them escape the law, points out Mohammed Khaleel of Attapur.