Over 13000 bags of rice missing from CWC godown in Odisha’s Bargarh

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bargarh, Jan 25:

Investigation has begun into the shortage of 13002 bags of rice of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) from the godown of the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) in Odisha’s Bargarh district.

Though the police have interrogated the manager of the godown about the incident, the specific reason has not yet been ascertained.

According to reports, a team of senior officials, led by the local magistrate had inspected the godown on Saturday. During inspection, the team found a shortage of 13,002 bags of rice weighing about 689.84 metric tonne in the godown whose market price of the missing rice bags would be around Rs 1.71 crore, the reports said.

Later, the officials seized the documents and sealed the godown.

It may be mentioned that the Bargarh Town Police had registered a case in response to a complaint about the missing rice bags.

Police later detained and interrogated the CWC manager JK Sen in this connection. But as the manager failed to explain the reason, a team of officials, acting on the directive of the district superintendent of police conducted a surprise inspection of the godown.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that of the 13,002 bags of rice of the FCI, there are presently 7467 bags of rice inside the godown while there is a shortage of 5526 bags.

The FCI authorities have alleged that the 7467 bags presently kept inside the godown is not owned by them as they are of inferior quality.

Refuting their claims, the CWC manager maintained that the these rice bags belong to the FCI and its officials are trying to disown them since these are old-stock rice. He, however, failed to explain about the missing of 5226 rice bags of the FCI.

Reports said the officials, after sealing the godown, asked the assistant civil supply officer (ACSO) to take charge of the godown to which he expressed his reluctance.

Interestingly, while the CWC and the FCI authorities have been indulged in the blame game over the shortage of rice bags which has come to the limelight, the mobile phone of the Civil Supply Officer (CSO) has remained switched off.