BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday urged his Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution counterpart Ram Vilas Paswan to call off the proposed merger of the regional office of Central Warehouse Corporation (CWC), Bhubaneswar with Patna region.
In a letter to Paswan, Pradhan said the Bhubaneswar regional office of CWC plays a crucial role in storage and warehousing of various essential commodities including food grains and notified commodities of Food Corporation of India (FCI) as well as Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSSC) which have provided crucial assistance during disaster relief operations in the State such as the recent cyclone Fani.
The regional office, established here in 1990 after bifurcation from Patna region, is meant to tackle geographical challenges, increase administrative efficiency and monitor affairs such as liaising with depositors and resolution of disputes.
“Currently, 21 warehouses in Bhubaneshwar region have an operational capacity of 3.48 million tonne and have been running at 90 per cent occupancy with consistent profitability. It is worth noting that over 90 per cent of the staff at the regional office are Odias,” the letter said.
Considering the vital support provided by the Bhubaneswar region to the State in times of natural disasters such as floods and cyclones, it is imperative that the CWC, Bhubaneswar region should not be merged with CWC, Patna region due to geographical and administrative burdens, Pradhan said.
Earlier, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain had written to Paswan over the issue.