Discrepancies in issuance of gate passes found at Taraori grain market

In yet another case of irregularities in the issuance of gate passes, officials of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) have found that gate passes were issued without the arrival of vehicles in the Taraori grain market. Earlier, similar findings have come to fore in Nissing and Indri grain markets.

“The inquiry is going on. The issue has come to my notice, and it will be inquired in depth,” said Yash Jaluka, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC).

The Tribune has highlighted the issue of deletion of gate passes for nearly 98,000 quintals of paddy across various grain markets. The maximum deletion of gate passes was observed in Nissing for 42,633 quintals, followed by Nigdhu (12,565 quintals), Indri (11,453 quintals), Taraori (9,435 quintals), Kunjpura and Jundla (nearly 8,000 quintals), Gharaunda (7,422 quintals), Karnal (4,560 quintals) and Assandh (1,568 quintals).

The investigation has highlighted the issuance of multiple gate passes within a short time frame. In the Indri grain market, two gate passes were issued within 41 seconds, while three were processed in just 2 minutes and 35 seconds. In another case, two gate passes were generated within 23 seconds, despite officials confirming that each pass typically takes 2-3 minutes to process. Apart from it, patterns of sequential gate passes being assigned to the same firm have raised further suspicion as 15 consecutive gate passes were allocated to a single firm, while another firm received seven sequential passes.

Following the revealations, Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh asked ADC Yash Jaluka to form a team to inquire about all aspects. The ADC formed the team that conducted physical verification of mills as well as records of grain markets. The team found irregularities in issuance of gate passes in Nissing, where these were issued without the arrival of vehicles, and the stock of three rice mills short.

Another team led by District Marketing Enforcement Officer (DMEO) of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) Saurabh Choudhary, along with other members, checked the record of the issuance of gate passes in Taraori grain market and CCTV cameras. “We have found that gate passes were issued without the arrival of vehicles. I have asked Taraori grain market secretary to submit a reply in this regard,” said Chaudhary.