TIRUPPUR: Attempts to smuggle PDS rice to Kerala via Tiruppur is on the rise, which exposes leaks in the distribution system and the porous borders of the district. As per CID- Civil Supplies sources, 306 tonnes of PDS rice were seized over last four years, the highest being 144 tonnes this year. A total of 215 people was arrested in 2021 and 269 persons in 2022.
President of Palladam Consumer Association KVS Mani Kumar said, “The quality of rice distributed in PDS shops is very good in state, and we thank the government for this. However, many beneficiaries sell the rice to migrant workers who don’t have ration cards. Further, small traders buy rice from beneficiaries and smuggle it to Kerala.
Tiruppur and Coimbatore are the preferred routes for smuggling as they share border with Kerala. The government must tighten vehicle checks at inter-district and State borders. Further, civil supplies officials must conduct regular inspections at shops for hoarding of PDS rice”
District Civil Supplies Officer (Tiruppur) A Maharajan said,” We are monitoring sales persons and impose heavy penalties for violations. Besides, cases, where the loss is more than Rs 10,000, are taken care by the CID-Civil Supplies of the Police department.”
A CID-Civil Supplies department official said, “We seized over 33 two wheelers in 2022 and 24 wheelers in 2021. But, usually trucks and mini vans are used for smuggling large quantities of rice to Kerala. Smugglers from Tiruchy, Thanjavur and Perambalur use the Kangeyam Road and those from Madurai, Ramanathapuram, and Sivaganga use Dharapuram-Palladam Road. We have made several seizures following alerts.”