Big crisis: Know how wheat worth Rs 10 crore was converted into powder, was stored in warehouses

Balaghat (EMS). In the month of January 2021, 52140 sacks filled with 26373 quintals of wheat had arrived in Balaghat district through railway rank from Sehore district of the state. The said wheat was infested with weevils before it was sent to Balaghat by railway rank and live insects were found in it. Such non-standard wheat was sent to Balaghat. When the wheat reached Balaghat, Civil Supplies Corporation officials, after seeing the reality of the wheat, declared it invalid for collection and informed the then Collector Deepak Arya about the reality. Deepak Arya banned the distribution of wheat coming from Sehore and got it stored in other warehouses of the district including Balaghat, Goglai and Varasivani. Till today the said wheat is not in the same condition and has been delivered in a worse condition.

Under the Right to Information, through letter number 692 dated 11/10/2023 by the District Manager Civil Supplies Corporation Balaghat, it has been mentioned in the copy of the inspection report and Panchnama report dated 11 January 2021 that the railway from Sehore district to Balaghat district Many anomalies have been found in the wheat supplied through Rank, which includes flour formation wheat, most of the sacks are filled with dust, white powder is falling from the wheat sacks, many of the sacks are filled with foul smelling wheat and wheat pulp. The sacks in which the wheat was filled are in extremely torn condition and in each wagon of the rank, some sacks have been found in which the weight of 10-20 kg has been measured. Due to non-laying of tarpaulin before loading wheat into the wagons, all the wheat has become cemented. Live insects have been found in large quantities in wheat. The mentioned inspection report has the signatures of the District Manager of Civil Supplies Corporation, District Food Officer and District Manager of Madhya Pradesh Warehouse Corporation Balaghat.

In the information given by the District Manager, it has been informed that the invalidated wheat is to be auctioned on the recommendation of the District Categorization Committee and as of the month of October 2023, the quantity of 7990.36 quintals of wheat has been lifted through auction. Thus, the wheat purchased in Sehore district at support price, which was already spoiled and infested with pests and was not fit for human consumption, was deliberately sent to Balaghat so that the truth could be hidden. According to the standards of the Central Food Department, the average shelf life of wheat is 6 months, whereas 3 years have passed since the wheat purchased in the period 2020-21 can be estimated from the ruined condition of the wheat at present. Has been given. It has also been revealed from official sources that approximately Rs 20 lakh has been paid as railway rank freight from Sehore district to Balaghat.

Due to the involvement of Sihore district officials and negligence in maintaining wheat in the warehouse, wheat worth about Rs 10 crore was converted into powder. Till date no one has been held responsible for this negligence. It seems that such negligence has been done due to political protection and involvement of officers, hence till date this matter has been covered up.