Scam comes to light at FCI’s Moga depot

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Moga, April 24

A multi-crore scam pertaining to the purchase of gunny bags and transportation of wheat from grain markets to silo (steel storehouse) by the local authorities of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) during the past five years has come to light in Moga district.

As per details, Adani Agri Logistics Limited signed an agreement with the FCI on June 28, 2005, that 80 per cent of the wheat stock would be delivered in bulk and 20 per cent in bags at the company’s silo located at Dagru village in Moga district, which has a total storage capacity of 2 lakh metric tonnes.

In April 2013, the regional office of the FCI at Chandigarh directed its district office in Moga to ensure that no wheat is taken in bags at the silo.

However, it has been noticed during an internal checking that the FCI accepted wheat in bulk form to the extent of 16 per cent to 74 per cent in the past five years between 2012 and 2017 against the prescribed perimeter of 80 per cent leading to heavy losses to the central food procurement agency.

A senior official of the FCI, while confirming this to The Tribune, said the FCI spent an extra sum of Rs 3.72 crore on the purchase of gunny bags against the clauses of the agreement signed between the FCI and Adani Agri Logistics Limited in these years. These gunny bags were not required had the wheat been transported to the silo in bulk form without filling it in gunny bags, the official added.

Further, the FCI had to bear the debagging cost of Rs 14.76 lakh for the quantity delivered at the silo in bags in excess of 20 per cent which could also have been avoided had the FCI delivered the stock in bulk form.

Thus, the total losses have been estimated at Rs 3.87 crore.

Initial findings had revealed that a nexus of arhtiyas (commission agents), transporters, labour unions and the local FCI authorities has led to this scam even as the farmers bring their produce in bulk form in tractor-trailers and there was no need to fill the food grain in gunny bags. It could have been directly diverted to the silos.

Moreover, Adani Agri Logistics Limited has already made appropriate arrangements for cleaning the food grain before its storage in the silos.

Corporation ‘bears’ Rs 3.87-cr loss in 5 years

• A senior FCI official said the corporation spent an extra sum of Rs 3.72 crore on the purchase of gunny bags against the clauses of the agreement signed between the FCI and Adani Agri Logistics Limited between 2012 and 2017.
• The FCI had to bear the debagging cost of Rs 14.76 lakh for the quantity delivered at the silo in bags in excess of 20 per cent which could also have been avoided had the FCI delivered the stock in bulk form.
• n Thus, the total loss has been estimated at Rs 3.87 crore.