Dept to auction 4,100 quintals of damaged wheat

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, January 12

The Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has given nod for auctioning 4,100 quintals of damaged wheat lying in open at its godown in Jundla village. The department has sought help from the Food Corporation of India to appoint a quality control officer for categorising the damaged wheat.

“We have received permission to auction the damaged wheat. I have requested the FCI to appoint a quality control officer for categorising the wheat,” said Anil Kumar, DFSC. He said the tender process would be initiated for auctioning after the wheat is categorised.

Sources said the decision has been taken after an inquiry report held district department officials and employees at the godown responsible for the damage.

The wheat in question was stored in the open in 2010-11 causing damage worth Rs 70 lakh to the state exchequer.

The wheat was neither dispatched to the FCI nor sent for distribution under the public distribution system (PDS) resulting in loss. The condition of the grain is so bad that it no fit for animal consumption either. Sources maintain that lakhs were spent guarding the wheat stock too. To prevent any further loss, the department has now started the process to auction it.