Panipat ex-Mayor booked for misappropriating grains

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, July 19

The police have booked 11 members of the Sarv Samaj Kalyan Sudhar Samiti on the charge of misappropriating 468 quintals of foodgrain (375 quintals of wheat and 93 quintals of rice) meant for BPL families.

The case was registered on Wednesday on the basis of an inquiry report by DSP in the Chief Minister’s flying squad, Ambala.

One of the accused is former Mayor Suresh Verma. The other accused are Subhash, Jitender, Anand, Bhupender, Vinod, Prem Chand, Prem Singh, Sadha Singh, Satpal Sharma and Kuldeep. All were booked under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC and Sections 7, 10 and 55 of the Essential Commodities Act.

BJP leader Ramkumar Saini, in his complaint at the CM window, alleged that former mayor Verma and his accomplices had lifted wheat and rice at subsidised rates from the Food and Civil Supply Department on the pretext that he would distribute the grains among the needy, but he sold off the stock in the open market.

Subsequently, the DSP and his team raided Verma’s office and godowns of his relatives on July 13.

The inquiry report stated, “The samiti received 1,080 quintals of foodgrain — 756 quintals of wheat and 324 quintals of rice. As per AFSO (Assistant Food and Supplies Officer) inventory, the stock was less by 375 quintals of wheat and 93 quintals of rice.”

Verma was the Mayor when the samiti was registered, but he showed himself to be a labourer at that time. He was the president of the samiti.

On May 15, the Swarnkar Samaj Kalyan Sewa Samiti, in which Verma’s wife was the vice-president, had written to the Director, Food and Civil Supply Department, that samiti had no money to lift the stock, so it should be given to another samiti.

On the same day, the Sarv Samaj Kalyan Sudhar Samiti had applied to provide foodgrain to BPL families.

Verma had resigned from the president’s post on June 22, a day after the lifting the foodgrain, raising suspicion.

“We will collect record from the FCI and the department. After collecting the evidence, action will be taken,” said Jagdeep Duhan, DSP, Headquarters.

Measure of anomaly  

• The Sarv Samaj Kalyan Sudhar Samiti received 1,080 quintals of foodgrain — 756 quintals of wheat and 324 quintals of rice
• As per AFSO (Assistant Food and Supplies Officer) inventory, the stock was less by 375 quintals of wheat and 93 quintals of rice