Amid crackdown, rice millers in Karnal seek interim relief from DC

Amid a crackdown on alleged paddy procurement irregularities by the district administration and the police, a delegation of the Karnal Rice Millers and Dealers Association on Thursday approached Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh, seeking interim relief. They urged him not to treat all rice millers in a single category as the administration continued its action over procurement lapses.

The delegation, led by association district president Raj Kumar Gupta, Karnal president Saurabh Gupta and senior member Nishant Rana, raised several concerns before the DC and called for fair and transparent proceedings.

Saurabh Gupta said many millers had procured paddy with high moisture levels ranging from 24 to 26 per cent, despite the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) prescribed limit of 17 per cent, due to pressure from the local administration at a time when farmers were protesting over non-procurement on account of excess moisture.

“Millers were compelled to buy paddy with high moisture because the farmers were agitating and the administration wanted immediate relief for them,” the delegation said.

Rana noted raids were being conducted at rice mills booked for shortages of paddy. “The district administration should consider moisture-related shortages. We will ensure delivery of every grain of rice against the paddy allotted to us, so we requested the DC to account for the reasonable quantity of rice at present lying in the mills during verification,” he said.

Clarifying their position, the members said the association did not support wrongdoing and would not defend millers involved in malpractices. “We will not stand with any wrongdoers,” said Raj Kumar Gupta, adding that genuine millers should not be penalised for circumstances beyond their control.

The delegation urged the DC to begin physical verification of stocks at the earliest, stressing timely checks were vital for millers to start delivering Custom Milled Rice (CMR) to the FCI within the stipulated schedule. “We requested the DC to start physical verification as soon as possible so we can begin delivering CMR to FCI on time,” said Saurabh Gupta.

They also requested that FIRs be lodged only after thorough verification of records and inventory, and that millers be given adequate opportunity to present their case. “A fair hearing and reasonable time for clarification are essential before taking any legal action,” he added.

In the alleged paddy procurement scam, Karnal police have registered six FIRs across various police stations, and five employees and rice millers have been arrested. Investigators say the scam appears to involve the issue of “fake gate passes” to adjust paddy or rice arrivals from other states.