7135 quintals rice sold to line a few pockets

LUCKNOW: In what appears to be one of the biggest rice scam in Uttar Pradesh, 70 truck load (7135 quintals) of rice worth Rs 88.11 lakh, meant for distribution under Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna (SGRY), was diverted to open market for sale. The sale proceeds were allegedly pocketed by a few officials in the food and civil supplies department.
The rice was withdrawn from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns for distribution under SGRY in Basti through the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) in March 2004.
Instead of being distributed to poor labourers for whom it was meant, the rice was offloaded in open market and money pocketed by department officials.
After the scrapping of Basti division by Mulayam government, senior marketing inspector Surendra Pratap Pandey was given charge of Basti''s food department. Sources in the department said that Pandey withdrew 7135 quintals of rice from the FCI godown on authorisation by regional food controller (RFC) Gorakhpur, CP Tripathi.
The case came to the light when the SGRY project director (PD) found that the rice withdrawn from the FCI godowns did not reach the DRDA for distribution. The PD, then SDO and BDO refused to sign the stock verification register and the bill produced to cover up the scam.
After an internal inquiry, an FIR was lodged at Khalilabad police station by the then project director Sant Kabirnagar, Diwakar Tripathi, seeking a criminal case against the erring officials and a probe into misappropriation of rice.
The matter is now hanging fire between the food and civil supplies department and the FCI which has shot off a letter to the former demanding payment of Rs 88.11 lakh for the rice withdrawn from its godowns. "The cost of 7135 quintals of rice which was issued to regional food controller (RFC), Gorakhpur, could not be realised from the ministry concerned as the PD, Basti, has refused to sign on our claim bill on the basis that the stock was misappropriated," stated the FCI letter dated August 11, 2004.
Attempts were made by food department officials to cover up the scam by requesting the authorities to adjust the misappropriated rice into other schemes. When contacted, RFC, Gorakhpur, CP Tripathi, admitted that rice was withdrwan on his order but refused to answer any question on the scam.
Confirming the rice scam, principal secretary food and civil supplies PC Chaturvedi said he has ordered a fresh probe. "The department has ordered a probe by RFC, Basti, DC Dubey. We have already initiated disciplinary proceedings against erring officials and further action would be taken after completion of the inquiry," he told TOI.