3,300 MT of rotten wheat worth Rs 6 crore lying in the open awaits auction

Tribune News Service

Karnal, March 11

About 3,300 MT rotten wheat, worth Rs 6 crore, is lying in an open godown at Jundla, waiting for the auction process. The wheat was purchased in 2020-21 and stored in the open godown. In 2022, the authorities found it rotten.

After the Food Corporation of India (FCI) declared it non-issuable, the Food and Civil Supplies Department categorised it and wrote to the higher authorities in August 2022, seeking permission to auction it.

Nearly 7,488 MT of wheat, procured in 2019-20, was found rotten in seven open godowns at Jundla and Assandh in November 2022. It was then auctioned.

The sources said the delay in the lifting was the reason behind the loss.

When contacted, Pankaj Agarwal, Commissioner and Secretary of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, said the rotten wheat would be auctioned soon. A committee led by the administrative secretary of the concerned district is inquiring into the issue of rotten wheat found in various godowns in 2019-20 and 2020-21 in different districts, he added.

Inquiry initiated

The state govt has initiated a high-level inquiry to the case. Action will be taken against those found guilty. The government and the FCI had issued directions on not to store wheat in the open, which would be followed in the upcoming season. — Pankaj Agarwal, secretary, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department

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