BHUBANESWAR: With rabi paddy procurement beginning from May 1 in 17 districts, the State government on Tuesday asked the district collectors to see that paddy from neighbouring states do not make way to the identified mandis. Minister for Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare and Cooperation, Ranendra Pratap Swain issued instruction to collectors of the 17 districts to form special squads at district and sub-divisional levels to keep an eye on the inter-state movements of paddy.
The department has also written to the Director General of Police and Collectors to take necessary measures to check illegal transportation of paddy during the procurement which will continue till June 30.
The vehicles found transporting paddy without due permission from the government during the procurement season should be seized. Criminal action should be initiated against the transporters, traders and rice millers involved in illegal transaction of paddy, it stated.
Enforcement has been tightened after getting specific inputs that some unscrupulous traders of Chhattisgarh and bordering areas are in touch with farmers of the rabi procurement districts for pushing their paddy into mandis. If this happens, genuine registered farmers of the State will be deprived from selling paddy under price support system.
The Minister said that the State government has made similar request to administration of Chhattisgarh districts bordering Odisha to keep a vigil on such illegal movement of paddy from their side.Meanwhile, the FS&CW department has issued operation guidelines for paddy procurement to the 17 districts of Balasore, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Khurda, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sonepur.
With large number of complaints against rice millers, the district collectors have been asked to ensure that paddy procured on a particular day is lifted the same day by the millers tagged to specific market yards.
“Any deviation by the millers should not be tolerated and actions deem fit should be taken,” the department said.