Khemka shunted again,44th time in 22 years

This is the 44th transfer posting of Khemka in his 22-year career. While no reasons were cited in an official statement issued by the government,sources said sources said,the 47-year-old officer has been shunted out of HSDC after he alleged a scam in purchase of a fungicide,Raxil 2 DS,and making it mandatory for wheat seed treatment across the state.

Earlier,an NGO had filed a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the issue state government making the fungicide mandatory for wheat seed treatment. The court had issued notices to Haryana government and Khemka,as MD,HSDC,had to file a reply in the HC on April 12.

After conducting an inquiry,Khemka intimated the government demanding a thorough probe into the “scam” and stopped the purchase of the fungicide. However,the government put its foot down and Khemka was forced to place the purchase order,albeit with certain riders.

The state government’s evident hurry in shifting Khemka out of HSDC became evident Thursday,when his successor BS Duggal,an Additional Director rank officer of agriculture department reached the HSDC office with the orders issued by the office of Chief Secretary. When Duggal reached the office with a copy of the posting order,Khemka was yet to receive his transfer orders. However,Khemka later completed the requisite procedural formalities and relinquished the charge.

The 19910-batch officer was also under the government’s scanner for an alleged poor sale of the seeds by the HSDC. Agriculture Minister,Paramvir Singh,had recently taken a strong note of it and sought a detailed report from the Principal Secretary,Agriculture,Roshan Lal on the issue.

Incidentally,Khemka was shifted from the Director General Consolidation of Land Holdings and Land Records-cum-Inspector General of Registration to the Seed Development Corporation to HSDC in October last year shortly after he initiated a probe into the land dealings between Vadra and DLF.

Had sought criminal case by CBI in scam

Did a CBI complaint made by 1991-batch IAS officer Ashok Khemka — managing director of Haryana Seeds Development Corporation (HSDC) — seeking registration of a criminal case against certain high-ups led to his transfer as the secretary of Haryana Archives?

Last month,as managing director of HSDC,Khemka had lodged a criminal complaint with the CBI,alleging a scam in purchase of 1 lakh quintals of certified wheat seeds,resulting in embezzlement of about Rs 5 crore by certain government officials in connivance with middlemen firms.

Khemka has alleged that two government agencies — National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) — and certain middlemen trading firms have cheated the HSDC. CBI is yet to take a call on Khemka’s complaint.

Khemka had hinted at a well-knit nexus between the government and private agencies,which prevented HSDC from floating short-term tenders for purchase of wheat seeds. As a result,NCCF and NAFED allegedly colluded with the middlemen firms and supplied seeds to HSDC at much higher rates. The same seeds could have been bought by HSDC at competitive rates by floating short-term tenders.

In his complaint (a copy of which is with The Indian Express),Khemka wrote: “This is a complaint against the criminal conduct of some officials of the Chandigarh regional office of NCCF and Ludhiana centre of NAFED,who by abusing their official power misrepresentated to HSDC regarding the availability of certified wheat seeds with them as on November 3,2010,thereby precluding HSDC from floating short-term tenders for obtaining most competitive supply rates of 1 lakh quintals of certified wheat seeds for sale to farmers of Haryana in November,2010,when no seed stocks of wheat were in fact available with them.”

A preliminary inquiry conducted by Khemka as MD (HSDC) indicated that NCCF and NAFED purchased untreated wheat seeds through three middlemen firms,which are either owned or related to one person. The middlemen firms purchased the private seeds in their names at rates ranging between Rs 1,450 to Rs 1,700 per quintal from 32 private seed companies,which were further supplied by NCCF and NAFED to HSDC at Rs 2,050 per quintal.

The seeds were sold from HSDC sale counters to farmers at Rs 16,50 per quintal after availing RKVY subsidy of Rs 500 per quintal. The gross realisation to HSDC were therefore Rs 2,150 per quintal.