MALKANGIRI: The Malkangiri administration has launched a crackdown against middlemen who are allegedly interfering in paddy procurement at different mandis across the district.
The move comes after a report titled ‘Malkangiri farmers allege middlemen interference in procurement of paddy’ was published in The New Indian Express on January 31.
Talking to TNIE, Malkangiri collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay said basing on the news report, sub-collector Duryodhan Bhoi was directed to inquire into the allegations of middlemen interference in paddy procurement across the district. Strict action will be taken against such brokers, he said.
Sub-collector Bhoi said he along with a team comprising officials from the Civil Supplies department and the additional tehsildar of Malkangiri visited the paddy procurement centre at MV-11 on Saturday. During verification of CCTV footage, it was found that one unauthorised person was roaming inside the mandi premises on January 28.
Bhoi said the footage also revealed that a few other persons were loitering near the procurement centre earlier, raising suspicion about their involvement in irregular activities. “Based on the findings, FIRs have been lodged against the suspected persons, and the matter is under investigation. If anyone is found guilty during investigation, strict action will be taken by the police,” he added.
The district administration has issued strict instructions to ensure that no unauthorised or unknown person is allowed to enter the premises of any paddy procurement centre across Malkangiri.
Last week, farmers had alleged that middlemen were openly operating at mandis and their collusion with LAMPS officials was resulting in eligible cultivators being denied timely opportunity to sell their produce. They claimed that middlemen were routinely using multiple tokens in the names of registered farmers to sell paddy.