BHUBANESWAR: As custom milled rice worth over Rs 8.42 crore has not been recovered from Jharsuguda-based Shree Bajrangbali Rice Mill since 2016-17, the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) has sought the assistance of the Economic Offence wing of the State Crime Branch for the realisation of the money.
The owner of the rice mill is facing criminal charges for misappropriation of public stock (paddy procured under minimum support price in 2016-17 kharif marketing season) worth Rs 8.42 crore. The case was handed over to the Crime Branch and a case was registered against the owner of the rice mill on March 14, 2018. After being denied bail from district court and Orissa High Court, the mill owner Dillip Agarwal was sent to judicial custody.
Official sources said that the rice mill had lifted nearly 80,000 quintals of paddy for custom milling as per the agreement with the OSCSC. The mill owner was supposed to deliver 54,000 quintal rice to the State-run corporation for supply under public distribution system and other food security programmes.
The sources said that the mill owner supplied about 19,500 quintals of rice to the OSCSC. The balance quantity of rice worth Rs 8.42 crore is yet to be delivered.Managing Director of the Corporation Biswajit Das has requested the EOW, Crime Branch to intimate the current status of the case and the steps taken for realisation of the outstanding dues from the defaulting mill owner.