Damaged grains being ‘mixed’ into good ones, probe begins

PK Jaiswar

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 2

A probe has started into the allegations levelled by suspended Assistant Food and Civil Supplies Officer Shiv Raj Khanna, who along with mediapersons and Aam Aadmi Party leader Rajiv Bhagat, entered the open PUNGRAIN godown located on the Loharaka road here on Thursday.

He had alleged that damaged grains were being mixed with the good ones which were being supplied to ration depot holders for further distribution under the Atta-Dal scheme for poor people. Khanna had alleged that he was getting threats from political leaders for raising the scam. He said a mafia was working that was bungling the government wheat and distributing discarded wheat.

A day after District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Rishi Raj Mehra visited the godown and marked a probe into the allegations on Friday.

“A District Food and Civil Supplies Officer (DFSO)-rank official would probe the matter and appropriate action would be taken in this connection,” Mehra said, adding that he was personally monitoring the probe and appropriate action would be taken.

Jagwinder Singh, superintendent, Pungrain godown, lodged a complaint against Khanna while alleging he had illegally trespassed into government property. He alleged that there was apprehension that he would damage the grain stashed into the godown. He said Khanna was mentally harassing the staff and asking them to teach a lesson after he was transferred and later suspended by the department for not joining his new posting in Gurdaspur.

He said around 10,000 bags weighing 30 kg each (3,000 quintals of wheat) was unfit for human consumption. He directed the staff to shift the same to some other place separate from this year grains and later store it separately for further necessary action. He said AFSO Mohanjit Singh said that the cost incurred on the segregation of damaged wheat would be recovered from the godown custodian Jagwinder Singh.

“The wheat which would be found unfit for human consumption would be recovered from the official concerned,” he said while asking the depot holders not to lift the damaged grains from the godown under Verka block.

Mehra said an initial probe revealed that the wheat being shown by Khanna was actually returned by the depot holders and it was being replaced with the good quality grains.