HYDERABAD: A rice-mill owner in Jagtial has been booked, for the first time, under the Preventive Detention Act for recycling the public distribution system rice and exporting it illegally to neighbouring states.
According to civil supplies officials, Konda Lakshman, owner of Hanuman Sai Traders at Gollapelli Road, has been involved in illegal transport of PDS rice to other states for the last 15 years and recycling the government rice for it. So far, eight criminal cases have been registered against him and it is the first time that a case under PD Act was registered against a rice-mill owner.
A civil supplies investigating team, as per the directions of commissioner CV Anand, had been keeping a watch on the activities of Lakshman. He has rice mills also at Rayakal, Korutla and Latipelly in benami names, officials said here on Monday. His modus operandi is that he would collect ration rice by paying Rs 8 to Rs 12 per kg (which is being sold to public at Re 1 per kg) and sell it to the government again at Rs 25 per kg under the custom-milled rice scheme. He used to supply around 600 to 800 tonnes of such rice whose value ranged between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 70 lakh. After fulfilling the CMR quota requirement, he would export the remaining rice to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. Rice-millers and traders supplying recycled rice instead of CMR to the government was detected and a district-wise list was prepared, according to Anand. The kingpins of this racket were identified and a strict vigil was kept on their movements, he said. Cases would be registered against other such unscrupulous rice-millers, Anand said and added that millers from Nagarkurnool, Warangal and other districts would be booked under PD cases.
Modus operandi
He would buy ration rice by paying Rs 8 to Rs 12 a kg (which is sold to public at Re 1) and sell it back to the government at Rs 25 under custom-milled rice scheme. He supplied around 600- 800 tonnes of such rice.