Mahabubnagar: Vigilance stays blindfolded as millers illegally transport rice to other States

Mahabubnagar: With majority millers across various districts of Palamuru region illegally transporting the Custom Milling Rice (CMR) to other States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the vigilance and authorities from the Public distribution system in erstwhile Mahabubnagar district are turning a blind eye, giving ample scope for the rice millers to carry out their business unabated across the district.

The illegal business of rice millers came to light only when the higher authorities from Hyderabad vigilance and enforcement department came to the region and intercepted loads of lorries with CMR rice and seized them in Gadwal district recently.

With this incident coming to light a few days ago, many people are suspecting the role of local vigilance and public distribution officials in the role of millers transporting the CMR rice to other States.

Allegations are rife that without the support and hand in the glove of the local vigilance department the millers could not have resorted to the illegal business of selling the CMR rice which is supposed to be handed over to the government.

In fact, the paddy procured by the government from the farmers during the last Yasangi season has been dumped at the rice millers. The authorities of the public distribution system have shifted about 11.15 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from the procurement centres to 207 rice mills across the district.

The rice millers have to deposit back about 67 per cent of raw rice and another 68 per cent of boiled rice which accounts for over 7.51 lakh metric tonnes of CMR rice to the public distribution system in the district. However, even though more than six months have gone past, the millers have deposited only 32 per cent of the total CMR rice accounting for 2.41 lakh metric tonnes to the government, while the remaining 67.91 per cent which accounts for 5.10 lakh metric tonnes of rice is yet to be given to the public distribution system in the district.

While on the one hand when the government has already started procuring the paddy harvest of Vanakalam season and the rice millers yet to handover over 5.10 lakh metric tonnes of rice to the government, the role of authorities of the public distribution system in the district has been questioned. "When such large consignment of rice is yet to be handed over to the government, why are the authorities from the public distribution system are not falling after the millers. The millers are deliberately delaying the handing over of the CMR rice and in the guise of the delay, there are allegations that they are recycling the PDF rice and giving it to the government, while the CMR rice is being sold illegally for lump sum money to other States by the millers," alleged Praveen Kumar, a social worker, reacting on inaction by the local vigilance officials against the millers.

Particularly there are allegations against rice millers from Gadwal, Wanaparthy districts. It is learned that the millers from these areas are openly selling the CMR rice to other States, while they are recycling the PDS rice and giving it to the government to be redistributed to the public through the public distribution system.

Recently, the vigilance officials raided the Siddivinayaka rice mill in Pebbair Mandal of Wanaparthy district and seized 700 bags of CMR rice being illegally transported to Karnataka. Similarly last month also the vigilance officials also sized 3 lorries of CMR rice being illegally transported to Tamil Nadu from Gadwal district.

Across erstwhile Mahabubnagar as many as 6484 quintals of PDS rice are being seized by the officials this year so far and cases have been booked. This clearly tells that a large amount of PDS rice is being procured at just Rs. 10 a kilogram and is being recycled at the rice mills and put into the distribution system.