Headlines Today cameras capture trucks diverting PDS wheat meant for Delhis poor to private flour mills. The UPA government and the Congress leadership might be patting themselves on the back talking big about the recently passed Food Security Bill, but their promises look far from delivery given the existing state of Public Distribution System (PDS). In a sting operation carried out by Headlines Today special investigation team, hidden cameras caught the pilferage of grain meant for distribution among the national capitals poor people under the PDS. The operation exposes government lies on delivering the benefits of its schemes to poor people. Headlines Today didnt have to travel too far to get the real picture. The journey of special investigation team that started from Parliament, where the Food Security Bill was passed about a couple of months ago, came to a halt after barely a few kilometres when the Headlines Today team came across a Food Corporation of India (FCI) depot from where the grains at controlled rates are funnelled out to fill the coffers of traders who wield influence enough to short circuit the system. A truck (bearing registration No. - DL 1M 1475) loaded with PDS grain, started from the FCI godown. However, in stead of reaching its destination -- govt ration shops -- it changed the route and headed towards Lawrence Road, where most of the big flour mills are located. The team continued to trail the truck with the spy cameras still rolling and reached Lawrence Road. The truck stopped near a big private flour mill. It was shocking to find that the wheat meant for the poor had actually reached Golden Flour Mill in Delhi. It was not the only truck that went off track. Another truck (No. -HR 55E 1145) also reached Lawrence Road and stopped at Hathi brand flour mill. More trucks (Nos. - DL 1GB 4035 and DL 1G B 3953) were captured by Headlines Today cameras as they ferried wheat at controlled price, which was supposed to be made available to the Delhis hungry at R7 per kg, to other private flour mills. It was clearly written on these sacks that those were meant for distribution under PDS. Delhi flour mills cant run without PDS wheat Headlines Today cameras thus captured four trucks on hidden cameras as they took away food meant for the poor in open loot to fill up the pockets of private mill owners. The rogue transporters had no fear of law as they seemed to operate a well-oiled machine. When Headlines Today countered the people involved in transport and those at the flour mills, they admitted on hidden cameras how the PDS wheat was essential to run these factories. They had no fear of police, clearly indicating the latters involvement in the massive scam that has been running under the nose of Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf and a huge enforcement team. A man Headlines Today spoke to on a hidden camera confessed that before entering the mills, grain is removed from sacks with government stamps. His next admission was even more startling as he claimed that no flour mill in the national capital could function without the siphoning of the PDS grains. Police intervention Headlines Today then dialled emergency telephone number 100 and called the police after the shocking revelation of diversion of food grains meant for PDS. A sub-inspector led the Headlines Today team inside the store of a private flour mill. Shockingly, sacks full of PDS grain were stacked inside. Meanwhile, a person involved in the transport of grains also reached the spot trying to talk his way out of the tight corner. It was even more evident from a receipt showed by him that the truck had just transported wheat meant for PDS shops -- Garg Provision Store in Laxmi Nagar and Sabir Ali Sarfaraz Shop in Vishwas Nagar -- to Hathi Flour Mill, Lawrence Road. The police shut down the store and took the trucks to Keshavpuram police station. Police find nothing wrong Just 24 hours after getting the trucks seized, Headlines Today team visited Keshavpuram police station to find out the latest developments into the matter. However, station house officer (SHO) Ramnivas said the trucks that were seized had been released as nothing was found wrong after verifying with the FCI and the excise department. Ramnivas claimed that the truck was released and the mill gates unlocked at the behest of Delhi Food & Civil Supply departments enforcement team. Headlines Today then approached food and civil supply departments enforcement inspector Ambesh Kumar. Just a few hours after as many as four trucks were caught on the camera, the official just refused to acknowledge the visual proof. Kumar declared that the vehicles never went wayward and off-loaded grain at the right destination. He presented documentary proof that the consignments were delivered at the right place. However, armed with proof of pilferage by the particular truck, Headlines Today was not ready to accept that the same vehicle could dump the same stock at two different destinations. The team then met Delhis food and civil supplies commissioner Sajjan Singh Yadav, who admitted that the loot has been almost a regular affair in the city. Modus operandi An insider revealed on a hidden camera how the food delivery chain, starting from FCI to poor people, is short-circuited by some greedy people to rob the poor of their daily bread. The person involved in transporting the wheat said the diverted stock is sold to private mills at a price lower than the prevailing market rate. He divulged that ration shop owners used hundreds of duplicate ration cards to siphon off the grains meant for the poor people. He said officials -- from top to bottom in the hierarchy -- of the concerned departments get a cut from around R200 profit earned by diverting each sack of wheat. The well-oiled racket cannot function without connivance of everyone from the local police to the food inspector, he said. Congresss hollow promises When the pilferage of cheaper grains has been so rampant in the national capital, how can Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi say so confidently that the highly subsidised rice (at R3 per kg), wheat (R2 per kg) and coarse grains (R1 per kg) will be given to every poor of the country? The UPA governments grand proclamations stand busted that it would deliver on the food security that would cost the exchequer a whopping R1.25 lakh crore a year to satisfy the hunger of Indias poor as the new scheme might also just go down the drain.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 02:53:08 +0000
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