Mohali district lags behind in wheat procurement

“The late beginning of wheat arrival in the mandis was the main reason behind the shortfall,which we hope to cover in the coming days,” Mohali District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Harjeet Kaur told Newsline.

Of the total wheat procured so far,as many as 45,874 tonnes have already been lifted from the mandis while the remaining was being lifted.

While the government agency Punsup has procured maximum of 12,443 tonnes so far,the private agencies have purchased only 272 tonnes of wheat. The remaining stock has been procured by Markfed (10,479 tonnes),Punjab State Warehouse Corporation (9,926 tonnes),Punjab Agro (7,961 tonnes) and Pungrain (7,924 tonnes).

District Food and Supply Control (DFSC) disclosed that Pungrain,Markfed and Punjab Agro have made total payment of their respective procured wheat stocks. Punjab State Warehouse Corporation has cleared 99 per cent payment,FCI 90 per cent and Punsup 82 per cent.

On lifting front,FCI and Punjab State Warehouse Corporation have lifted their 93 per cent procured stocks,Punjab Agro 89 per cent,Punsup 84 per cent,Pungrain 83 per cent and Markfed 81 per cent.

Meanwhile,Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh Mand has directed the DFSC to ensure instant lifting of the procured wheat while assuring the farmers that wheat arrived at district mandis would be purchased for sure.

Illegal allotment of sheds at grain market: Babla gets bail

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday granted bail to municipal councillor Davinder Singh Babla in the case of illegal allotment of platforms in the Sector-26 grain market.

A case against him was registered on the complaint of Suraj Parkash Ahuja,owner of shops no 9 and 10 in the market. Ahuja had lodged a complaint alleging that irregularities were committed during the auctioning and allotting of platforms in the market on July 24,2009.

Babla had surrendered on December 28,2009,after remaining absconding for four months. He has been behind bars since then.

Arguing on his behalf,senior advocate R S Rai,assisted by advocate Gautam Dutt,contended that the allegations levelled against Babla were motivated and unsubstantiated.

The complainant had alleged that the accused had manipulated the list of allottees. As per the original list,a total of 59 platforms were to be allotted during an auction against a licence fee. It was claimed that the accused not only deleted names of six genuine allottees,but also added more names,thus bringing the total number of allottees to 69.

An inquiry was entrusted to Additional Deputy Commissioner P S Shergill,who found Babla and Rakesh Saini,president of the Arhtiya Association,guilty.

The police had sent the inquiry report to the UT Senior Standing Counsel for legal opinion and a case of cheating,forgery and criminal conspiracy had been registered at the Sector-26 police station.