DM inspects paddy procurement centres, orders probe after farmers’ complaints

Kanpur: Acting on complaints from farmers unable to sell their paddy, district magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh inspected four paddy procurement centres at Navin Mandi Sthal, Uttaripura, on Tuesday and found serious irregularities in the procurement process.The mandi has three procurement centres operated by the food department—Uttaripura Mandi First, Second and Third—and one centre run by UPSS. During the inspection, farmers Shyam Babu of Madararay Gumanpur, Saroj Narayan Tripathi of Sujawalpur and Rampal of Eima directly complained to the DM that despite repeated efforts over several days, their paddy was not being purchased.
The DM questioned Neeraj Mishra, in-charge of Uttaripura Mandi Third procurement centre, and Amit Dwivedi, the mandi procurement centre in-charge, but found their replies unsatisfactory. Farmer Shyam Babu told the DM that he had been trying to sell his paddy since December, yet no purchase had been made. Expressing strong displeasure, the DM directed that a letter be sent to the government recommending suspension of marketing inspector Neeraj Sharma. Scrutiny of records further revealed that no paddy had been procured at the UPSS-operated centre after February 12, even though farmers were present. The DM also expressed displeasure that no responsible officer had conducted a site inspection since November 14.To ensure a thorough inquiry, instructions were issued to constitute a three-member committee under the chairmanship of the SDM Bilhaur, with the ARO Supply and mandi secretary as members, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into paddy procurement. During the inspection, filth was found in the mandi premises, for which in-charge mandi secretary Anil Pandey was reprimanded and directed to ensure immediate cleaning. Purchased paddy was also found lying in the open, prompting the DM to order its safe preservation to prevent damage in case of rain.The DM further directed that an adverse entry be made against the District Food Marketing Officer. He made it clear that paddy brought by all farmers must be purchased as per rules, with priority to small farmers, and warned that any complaint of farmers being made to run around unnecessarily would invite strict action.