Thwarting the second paddy recycling bid in two days, the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department impounded five trucks of paddy at Bathinda, on Tuesday.
Informing this, the state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that on a tip-off, the Department’s vigilance team raided the premises of KG Rice Mill, Rampura Phul, Bathinda at 6 am.
“The team found a truck full of 600 bags of paddy being unloaded in the mill while another truck full of similar amount of paddy was parked outside the gate of the mill. The inspection revealed that the paddy was procured from Bihar for illegal sale in local market at MSP,” he said.Fearing being caught, the driver of the truck parked outside the mill tried to flee away with the vehicle. But he was rounded off at a petrol pump where three more trucks full of paddy were parked with the offloading destination being the same mill, said the Minister.
The Minister said that the Department is observing utmost vigil against the out of state paddy or rice recycling bids since they amount to huge loss to the state exchequer.
“Two consecutive seizures speak volumes of the efforts being put in to curb the menace,” he said adding that the police has been informed about the fraud and action would be taken against the miller under various provisions of Indian Penal Code and the Custom Milling Policy (2019-20) of the department.
