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Pawan pulls up officials, TDP MLA over rice smuggling
Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan speaking to officials during his visit to the Kakinada port on Friday. Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar and MLA Vanamadi Kondababu are also seen.
The Dy CM visits the port along with civil supplies minister, expresses ire at the port authorities and local MLA for failing to check the smuggling of the rice meant for the PDS
Kakinada: Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Friday visited Kakinada port and expressed his ire over the port authorities and local MLA for failing to check the smuggling of the rice meant for the public distribution system.
He along with Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar visited the port and spoke to officials and local public representatives.
The Jana Sena chief expressed ire over the port officials and Kakinada TDP MLA Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao in the presence of a large number of people.
The Deputy Chief Minister’s visit came two days after the seizure of 640 tonnes of PDS rice at the anchorage port. The rice was being exported to West Africa by a ship.
“I came to Kakinada port to check the smuggling of PDS rice. A scam that became rampant in the last regime was continuing. This port looks like free for all. No accountability,” posted Pawan Kalyan on the social media platform ‘X’.
Pawan accused authorities of failing to curb illegal activities and criticised the lack of adequate security measures at the port. He pointed out that the port, which handles about 1,100 trucks daily, has only 16 security personnel, making effective monitoring impossible.
He demanded that notices be issued to the port’s CEO and described the security lapses at Kakinada Port as a threat to national safety. The Deputy Chief Minister also announced that he would request the Union Home Minister to strengthen security measures at the port.
Pawan, who holds the portfolios of Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Rural Water Supply, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology, intervened in an issue pertaining to the portfolio of his party colleague Nadendla Manohar.
Stating that rice was being illegally exported from the port, Manohar said action would be taken against officials involved. He told mediapersons that PDS rice stored in mills and warehouses was being seized.
However, how the actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan admonishedg the TDP MLA surprised everyone.
This is the second instance of Pawan expressing his displeasure publicly over the working of a leader belonging to his ally TDP, which is heading the coalition government.
On November 5, Pawan had warned Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha that he would take over her portfolio.
Voicing concern over a spike in crimes against women and children in the State, he had criticised Anitha of “incompetence” and warned he would take over her portfolio if the law and order in the State did not improve.
He also visited the lands of a company owned by former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in Palnadu district and ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in land acquisition.
