Punjab's Procurement agencies' protest gets a fillip, Food Department extends support

Chandigarh, November 29

The protest by officers of all foodgrain procurement agencies in the state, under the aegis of the Confederation of Officers of Punjab Foodgrain Agencies, today got a fillip with other sections of employees in the Food and Supply Department joining hands with them.

VB interfering unnecessarily

If you find anything fishy, an investigation should be carried out by the internal teams of the department. The Vigilance is unnecessarily interfering in the functioning of the dept. — Sunil Sofat, Officer, Food & Supply Department

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As the strike by the confederation continued, over 1,000 employees and officers took part in the protest against the Vigilance Bureau’s investigations into alleged scams in the department and arrest of two District Food and Supply Controllors last week in the food grain tender allotment scam. The officers have alleged that the department’s top brass have given up all their rights to the Vigilance sleuths.

“If you find anything fishy, the investigation should be carried out by the internal vigilance teams in the department. The VB is unnecessarily interfering in the smooth functioning of the department,” alleged Sunil Sofat, an officer in the department. He said till today evening, no one from the state government had approached them for reconciliation.

As the strike continues, the Food Corporation of India has pressed the panic button, saying that the indefinite strike by employees of the food grain procurement agencies was hampering the evacuation of food grain stocks by rakes, as well as ongoing paddy procurement operations in Punjab region.

In a letter sent to the state Chief Secretary, the CMD of FCI, Ashok K K Meena, has said: “Any disruption in rake loading may lead to dislocation of PDS in recipient regions. This strike may adversely affect the squaring up of the cash credit limit (CCL) account of RMS 2021-22 of Punjab state as the wheat liquidation of crop year 2021-22 has to be completed before the end of December 2022.”

The FCI chairman has urged the CS to intervene into the matter and resolve the issue immediately.