Akshay Azad
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 3: The recent seizure of two truckloads of wheat of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) from a flour mill by police is just tip of an iceberg as a major pilferage scandal is yet to be unearthed, involving several senior officials of department. Sources in CAPD informed Early Times that since the decision to supply wheat to the consumers has been taken by department, huge pilferage of wheat has been going on in the department. "As many of consumers refuse to take wheat from CAPD as it becomes very hectic exercise to get the wheat grind from grinding mills. After consumers avoid to take wheat, huge pilferage of ration started in CAPD", an official said, adding that the police could easily unearth a major scandal in the department only after a little verification. Divulging details the official said that to get ration, the dealers deposited money in treasury for getting their quota. "Along with Treasury receipt slips, ration dealers approached TSO, who in return issued permits and send them to Store keepers to get their quota", he said. He further said that the store keeper issued ration (wheat, rice, sugar etc) against the permits and quota mentioned by TSO to the ration dealer. "The store keeper has three registers Issue Register, Receipt register and Ground balance register. All the quota the Store keeper gets, enter into Receipt register and the quota he issues in Issue register. The ground balance register has details of closing balance and total balance", he said. He further said that after the introduction of 100 percent wheat to consumers, the ration dealers generally didn't lift their sanctioned quota and left it with store keepers for pilferage. "At present in all the three stores of CAPD including Chatha, Ware House and Railway there is huge difference between receipt and ground balance", he said, adding that it was due to fact that ration dealers have not lifted their quota and the ground balance with store keepers was very much high, which was to be sold in open market. He further said that the two truck loads, which were seized by police was from the quota excess with the store keepers in various stores of CAPD. "If the police will check the opening balance, ground balance, receipt register and issuance register, they will easily found that the ground balance with store keepers was very much higher than the balance in registers, as many of dealers have not lifted the quota", he said, adding that all the extra quota was to be sell by store keepers and was to be sold, in which higher officials of CAPD were also involved.He further said that after the seizure of trucks, there was complete chaos in the department and the higher officials involved in the scandal asked the store keepers to get their records straight so that the police would not find the real culprits involved. Sources further said that it was a major scandal and if police would investigate properly, many higher officials would be behind the bars. "But attempts are already going on to hush up the entire matter and save the skin of all the officials involved even by greasing the palms of authorities", he said. |