Maha: Probe ordered after objections raised over paddy procurement process at DMF centres in Gondia

BJP MP Sunil Mendhe, who represents BhandaraGondiya Lok Sabha constituency, and local Independent MLA Vinod Agrawal raised objections over the procurement process that began on July 7.

Gondia: An inquiry has been ordered after some public representatives in Maharashtra's Gondia complained of alleged irregularities in the procurement of paddy from farmers, saying that the target of 4.51 lakh quintals set before the District Marketing Federation (DMF) was achieved soon after the process began, officials said on Saturday.

BJP MP Sunil Mendhe, who represents BhandaraGondiya Lok Sabha constituency, and local Independent MLA Vinod Agrawal raised objections over the procurement process that began on July 7. "At several DMF centres, the paddy procurement process ended within hours of the commencement. However, the same activity that started the same day at the Tribal Development Corporation (TDC), the revised target of which is 3.28 lakh quintals, is still on and is expected to continue for a week," Mendhe said.
After the procurement process began, 107 approved centres of the DMF achieved their target within a few hours and the portal was closed down, farmers alleged. They approached Mendhe and Agrawal, who took up the matter with the authorities. Taking cognisance of the complaints by farmers and the public representatives, an inquiry has been ordered and a report is likely to be submitted within next few days, officials said.
An inquiry was ordered into this by the in-charge Collector Rajesh Khawale. Khawale said he has directed the tehsilders concerned to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter and to submit their reports latest by Tuesday. District Marketing Officer Manoj Bajpayee said they will go through the documents of farmers to authenticate the allegations and if any irregularity was found, then action would be taken against those responsible. (PTI)