Officials: Flower traders fudge records to rob farm produce committee of commission

In a case of mixing up of records by traders at the Gultekdi Market Yard flower market,major differences have been found in the data submitted to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee and those given to farmers.

In a case of mixing up of records by traders at the Gultekdi Market Yard flower market,major differences have been found in the data submitted to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) and those given to farmers.

One of the traders,an APMC official said,had submitted false accounts of his total sale in a bid to evade the one per cent commission to be given to APMC on the total transaction. A trader gets 10 per cent commission on a stock that he sells.

For all the sales that take place in the Market Yard,traders are supposed to keep three copies of the records – one to be given to farmers for the total stock he sells to a trader,one should be submitted to APMC and a trader can keep the third copy.

The matter came to light on Wednesday when a trader submitted two copies at the APMC office by mistake. The trader has given a much lower figure of the prices and the weights of his stock sold over a period of time. When we went through other copy which should have been given to the farmer,the rates and weights mentioned were much higher, said an APMC official.

His computer has been sealed and the documents of other traders are also being verified by APMC. He has been served a notice but owing to the festive season,no action has been taken against him.

Appa Gaikwad,a trader,said,We have requested the APMC administration not to take any action till the end of Diwali. The verification of his documents is yet to be completed. The trader claims it was a technical error. Unless a an investigation is carried out,it will be incorrect to suspend his licence or take take any action.

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