Rs 2 cr spent but state’s lone cotton cleaning, drying unit remains unused since 2014

Installed at a cost of Rs 2 crore over a decade ago, the state’s lone cotton pre-cleaning and drying machine remains unused. It was set up at the cotton market in Malout during the SAD-BJP regime in 2014, but has been used only once.

The machine was installed with the aim to bring more area under cultivation in the prime cotton belt of the Malwa region, maximise the growers’ profits and reduce input costs by addressing the problem of expensive labour. However, it is rusting away without use. Several parts have either gone missing or been stolen, yet it still stands at the market. Paddy bags have even been stacked around it amid space shortage during the ongoing paddy procurement season.

The Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board had procured the machine from Nagpur, Maharashtra, and handed it over to the Malout Market Committee to run on a no-profit, no-loss basis. It was designed to clean six tonne cotton per hour, remove leaves and reduce moisture content.

However, officials and farmers recall the lone test run ended in disappointment. “Almost nothing came out after processing the normal cotton variety. Farmers lost faith, and eventually, the machine was never operated again. Now, it would take nearly Rs 1 crore to repair it,” said a commission agent.

Congress leader Nathu Ram Gandhi said, “This is a classic case of public money being wasted. The authorities must probe why the machine never worked despite costing Rs 2 crore. Why were officers spared accountability?”

Addressing the issue, sources in the market committee said they neither had the funds to make it operational nor the skilled staff to run it. Mandeep Raheja, secretary, Malout Market Committee, said, “I joined here in July, but the machine has been lying unused and there is no proposal to make it functional at present.”