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Rajamahendravaram: Illegal export of PDS rice uncovered
- On Nov 29, during a preliminary inspection of Stella L, 640 tons of PDS rice was identified
- Collector informs that the PDS rice will be unloaded and Anchorage Port has been seized
Rajamahendravaram: A multi-disciplinary team has confirmed the presence of 1,320 tons of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice on the vessel Stella L, docked at Kakinada Anchorage Port, said district collector Sagili Shanmohan.
Addressing the media at the Collectorate’s Vivekananda Hall on Tuesday, collector along with District Superintendent of Police Vikrant Patil and joint collector Rahul Meena informed the measures taken to prevent the illegal export of PDS rice.
On November 29, during a preliminary inspection of Stella L, 640 tons of PDS rice was identified. Following this, a five-department multi-disciplinary team was formed to conduct a thorough inspection of the vessel’s cargo.
Over 12 hours, the team examined the ship’s entire load of 4,000 tons of rice and collected samples for laboratory testing.
The lab analysis revealed that in addition to the initially discovered 640 tons, another 680 tons of PDS rice were found in the vessel’s third compartment, bringing the total to 1,320 tons. This rice was traced to Satyam Balaji Rice Export Industries.
An investigation is underway to determine the source of the rice and the parties involved in the attempted illegal export.
Collector informed that the PDS rice would be unloaded and the Anchorage Port has been seized. Unloading is expected to take 24–48 hours. Once completed, the ship will be allowed to load 12,000 tons of legally cleared rice for export. The decision on releasing Stella L is still pending.
Additional rice exports via the Deep Water Port will be allowed only after the full utilisation of the Anchorage Port’s capacity.
SP Vikrant Patil revealed that 13 cases related to illegal rice transportation have been registered since June and July.
Of these, 137 rice mills have been implicated, with 89 located in Andhra Pradesh and the rest in Telangana, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. Investigations have already been conducted at 75 mills, and their records are being scrutinised.
