After HC rap, instructions issued to ensure quick lifting of grains

After a rebuke from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Punjab Government has directed the procurement agencies to lift all the paddy lying in the mandis by November 26.

Justice Anil Kshetrapal rapped the state government for not securing the purchased grains yesterday. In response to the court observation, Principal Secretary of the Food and Supply Department Vikas Khanna has asked all four state procurement agencies, namely Punsup, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, Pungrain and Markfed along with the regional office of the Food Corporation of India, to complete the lifting of paddy from the mandis. The agencies concerned have been asked to ensure that the procured paddy is lifted within the stipulated 72 hour after the purchase.

According to information, 21.44 lakh metric tonne (LMT) paddy purchased by the government agencies has not been lifted so far. Currently, 165.77 LMT paddy has arrived in the mandis, of which 163.36 LMT has been purchased. Of this, 141.92 LMT has been lifted from the mandis.

The highest percentage of procured paddy still lying in the mandis is in Malerkotla (21.52 per cent), Jalandhar (20.74 per cent), Ludhiana (20.10 per cent), Sangrur (19.46 per cent); Hoshiarpur (18.42 per cent) and Ferozepur (17.98 per cent). In all, there are 14 districts, where the percentage of not lifted paddy is more than 10 per cent. The best lifting of grains has been in Pathankot, Patiala and Fazilka.