Bihar cops start probe into paddy scandal

EOW to look into alleged malpractices in paddy procurement and milling.

The Economic Offences Unit EOU of Bihar Police has initiated an inquiry into allegations that millers and food and consumer protection department officials colluded to cause huge loss to the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited SFC by relaxing standard procedures and violating terms of agreement between SFC and millers in 2011-12 season.

The EOU will also look into substantial increase of several millers assets,some of whom allegedly bought land plots,SUVs,flats and even opened new rice mills after selling government paddy allotted to them for processing rice in open markets.

The Bihar Polices decision for the EOU inquiry followed a series of reports by The Indian Express last week and a formal complaint lodged by Nagrik Adhikar Manch,a voluntary group.

Bihar DGP Abhayanand told The Sunday Express: EOU,like state vigilance bureau,will conduct preliminary inquiry into the entire process of paddy procurement and milling and can file FIR only after finding adequate corroborative and material evidence.

The DGP added the EOU was set up with specific purpose about a year ago to deal with economic offences,which are root cause of most crimes in the state. We will take paddy case purely on merit and facts, he said.

Abhayanand said he had also ordered IGP,CID to monitor the probe into the death of Rafiganj block extension officer Nand Kumar Gupta,who was found dead under mysterious circumstances under Fesar police station of Aurangabad on September 20 last year. Paddy shortfall,as reported by The Indian Express ,was blamed for the mysterious death of the procurement officer.

Nagrik Adhikar Manch convenor and RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai,who lodged complaint with EOU,said: The entire paddy procurement and milling process in 2011-12 season must be scrutinised. Advance-rice-for-paddy norm was blatantly violated,causing corruption and loss of over Rs 500 crore to the state exchequer. Several Primary Agriculture Credit and Cooperative Society heads were entrusted to process paddy in violation of norms. He said as PACCS chiefs are responsible for paddy procurement from farmers,they,as per a December 26,2011 notification of the cooperative department,cannot be asked to process paddy to ensure transparency.

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In a related development,links of as many as 11 circulars,issued by the cooperative department regarding procurement of rice in 2011-12,are not opening on the main page of the departments web site. These circulars,including one of PACCS chiefs not allowed to process paddy,were issued in 2011 between November 9 and December 16. While the department calls it technical error,similar links on the same page were opening.