Rice millers evade custom-milled rice dues in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: After a long battle for two years, the Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation (APCSC) officials here have not recovered    custom-milled rice (CMR) from the millers and lodged complaints against them for cheating the department. 

The rice millers had evaded custom-milled rice worth Rs 17.8 crore to APCSC from 2012 to 2016 after procuring paddy from farmers through Paddy Purchasing Centres (PPC). The main reason for it is the relaxation for bank guarantees (BG).  

If a miller provided Rs 1 crore worth bank guarantee, he will be allowed to procure Rs 4 crore worth paddy. By cashing in on it, the millers evaded custom-milled rice targets which were found in 2016.

However, due to political pressure, the APCSC officials were unable to initiate any action against the erring millers. However, APCSC Srikakulam district manager R Venkateswara Rao had initiated steps for its recovery in 2017. 

Then the political pressure was started against officials even though the district manager recovered custom-milled targets from millers for Rs 17.8 crore. 

It is learnt that six millers produced fake and forged documents regarding CMR targets worth Rs 56, 57, 885. After knowing about it, APCSC DM imposed penalty on millers for Rs 7,06,439 and collected the same.

Finally, the DM lodged complaints with the police against six millers Boina Ramesh, who is also president of District Rice Millers Association, P Ramana Murthy, D Anasuyamma, Sanapala Krishna Rao, Potnuru Lakshmana Rao and Ladi Chandra Mouli.

“We produced all the evidence to the police regarding cheating and forgery by six millers and they registered cases”, APCSC DM R Venkateswara Rao said.

By Ch Lakshmana Rao