Private traders procure 99% paddy

The procurement staff of Punjab Agro,Pungrain,Punjab Warehousing Corporation,Punsup are up in arms against the milling policy of the state,which also makes them liable for losses incurred due to the storage of paddy in private mills by the government. The staff in these agencies want the government to absolve them of the responsibility of being joint custodians of paddy stored in rice shellers,said an official of the Punjab Foodgrain Employees Coordination Committee.

On Wednesday,the Punjab Arhtiya Association,led by its president and Mandi Board vice-chairman Ravinder Cheema,had met Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adeisjh Pratap Singh Kairon demanding that commission agents should not be held liable for loss of paddy moisture due to non-lifting of the produce by state agencies.

The rice millers,too,are boycotting procurement to protest the milling policy,which makes it mandatory for millers to give a bank guarantee to the government for storing their paddy. They have refused to allow storage of paddy in their units till the stipulation of bank guarantee is removed,which,they say,has been raised manifold based on the milling capacity of the unit.

To end the impasse,Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday met striking rice millers and staff of procurement agencies. Following this,he constituted a three-member committee,including the chief secretary,to monitor the progress of paddy procurement across the state on a daily basis.

He also asked the chief secretary to make deputy commissioners free from other routine administrative works so that they can solely focus on procurement.

Meanwhile,Food and Civil Supplies Secretary D S Grewal informed Badal that the ongoing standoff has been resolved and the agencies have assured that procurement operations will begin from Friday.