PDS rice smuggling from Kakinada Port rampant

Kakinada: The smuggling of rice meant for the Public Distribution System (PDS) continues unchecked from Kakinada Port, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of monitoring systems.

In a recent surprise inspection, District Collector Shan Mohan and other officials seized 640 metric tonnes of PDS rice sacks from the vessel Stella L, which was bound for West Africa. The ship, capable of carrying 52,000 tonnes of cargo, was found to be loaded with 38,000 tonnes of rice, including nearly 700 tonnes of PDS rice.

Despite the presence of check-posts near the anchorage port, hundreds of tonnes of rice is reaching the port and being loaded onto ships. This has led to widespread criticism of the authorities’ inefficiency in preventing such activities.

In another raid by Civil Supplies Corporation chairman Thota Sudheer at a rice mill at Nadakuduru village, additional PDS rice was seized. Officials suspect that some of this rice could be part of 2,000 tonnes previously confiscated during an inspection by Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar but later released on a bank guarantee. This has sparked allegations that the issue is being downplayed.

During the 2024 election campaign, Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan alleged that the family of then MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy was deeply involved in large-scale smuggling of rice from Kakinada Port.

Pawan vowed to put an end to this illegal activity and take strict action against those responsible. After the NDA formed the government in the State, Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar intensified efforts to curb smuggling by seizing thousands of tonnes of PDS rice, conducting continuous reviews and setting up special checkpoints at the port.

However, locals claim that these measures have failed to bring about any significant change, as smuggling continues unabated. Even after five months of the new coalition government’s rule, the persistence of the problem has become a major challenge for the administration.