Civil Supplies lens on buffer godowns

Hyderabad: The Civil Supplies Department set up special teams with an objective to keep vigil on buffer godowns. The teams will carry out inspections at godowns to check the present stock and prevent supply of recycled rice through Public Distribution System (PDS). 

The move comes following allegations that officials at Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), State Warehousing Corporation (SWC) and Technical Staff of the Civil Supplies Corporation are colluding with the rice millers. It was found that they were accepting re-cycled PDS rice for illegal gains at buffer godowns, by using lacunas and claimed for storage losses straight away, without any proper inspections by the officials. 

One such incident came to light while the Civil Supplies Enforcement Team was conducting inspections at Nagarkurnool district’s Jadcherla buffer godown. Higher officials took serious note of the issue and warned officials that stringent action will be taken against them and ordered the officials to take special steps for preventing frauds. 

According to Commissioner Civil Supplies C V Anand, the teams will take precautionary steps by putting breaks on recycled rice supply from millers at buffer godowns. Each team at district level will consist of District Manager of Civil Supplies Corporation, Assistant Manager (Technical), a member each from District Enforcement Wing and Legal Metrology department. 

These teams will conduct inspections at all buffer godowns existing in the district at the beginning of each month and would submit their report to the Corporation’s Head Office within fortnight. These teams will again be monitored by a squad from Head Office, which will comprise Enforcement staff and an officer from Legal Metrology Department. The squad will check the progress of these teams by inspecting district on quarterly basis.

“The inspection team shall conduct detailed investigation on component wise analysis of storage losses (due to moisture, theft and pilferage or other reasons) and furnish report to the Head Office,” said C V Anand.

Based on the report of the inspection teams, the storage losses to the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), State Warehousing Corporation (SWC) and Civil Supplies Corporation Buffer godowns shall be regularised duly following procedure in vogue.