‘State to take measures to bring more transparency’

Kolkata: The state Food and Supplies department has sought a report from the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (WBSEDCL) regarding the electricity consumption of rice mills across the state. The move comes in the wake of complaints against a section of rice mill owners resorting to unfair means in conversion of paddy into rice handed over to them by the department after procurement from the farmers.

“We have held a meeting with WBSEDCL and have sought a report regarding real time electricity consumption of the rice mills. Once we get an overall report from WBSEDCL, we will examine thoroughly and decide on our next course of action,” state Food and Supplies minister Rathin Ghosh said. The state Food and Supplies department directly procures paddy from the farmers through purchasing centres across the state and then sends the stuff to the rice mills for converting it into rice. After this exercise, the rice is supplied to the state godowns and then transported to ration shops for public distribution.

However, there have been complaints against a section of rice mill owners of selling paddy supplied by the state Food department and then channelising inferior quality rice procured from the market in the public distribution system. “We are determined to stop such unlawful practice,” a senior official of the department said.

The minister said that the aspect of installing Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) in the vehicles that carry paddy to the rice mills for conversion into rice and then to the state godowns was also discussed along with senior officials from the state Transport department.

“The process requires lots of approval and NOCs and technical design. We are working on them,” another senior official of the Food department said. Abdul Malek, working president of Bengal Rice Mill Association said: “We have no objections to any technological intervention undertaken by the state government.

But they should also consider our demands with a humanitarian approach.”