As many as 300 bags of rice meant for mid-day meal (MDM) scheme were seized by the Jajpur Road police from Tarini market in Vyas Nagar municipality on Monday night. The rice bags, issued for the school children of Dangadi block in the district under public distribution system (PDS), were seized while being unloaded from a truck at a private godown in the market.
Police sources said a transport agency, Mohanty Suppliers, lifted 300 bags of rice from the Central Warehouse at Jajpur Road on Monday. It had to deliver the rice bags to different schools in Danagadi block.
Instead of sending the rice to the schools, the transport agency was unloading the bags at a private godown at Tarini market. On a tip-off, police seized the truck and the rice.
Jajpur Road police station inspector-in-charge (IIC) Aswini Kumar Sahu said on being informed, a police team rushed to the spot and found the truck unloading the bags of rice at the godown. As the rice was issued under PDS and lifted by the transport agency to distribute them among the schools for MDM, they seized both the rice and the vehicle.
“The MDM rice was taken from the Central Warehouse without informing the authorities concerned,” said the IIC. A case has been registered in this connection, he said adding further investigation was on.
“I have asked the Danagadi Block Development Officer to submit a report on the matter. Action will be taken against the persons involved in the act after receiving the report,” said Maheswar Panigrahi, Sub-Collector of Jajpur.
Danagadi BDO Mihir Prasad Mohanty on Tuesday visited the spot where the rice bags were being unloaded and took stock of the situation.