Rice from govt. godowns entering black market

LAW enforcers have seized a total of around 3,039 tons of rice packed in bags with writing of Directorate General of Food loaded in 12 trucks in the Port City on Monday and Tuesday. Clearly these bags were released from the Government Food Depots in the Port City but on inspections of all food grains depots and silos, their stock maintained in ledger books showed no food grains were missing. Then the question arises how the seized food grains are draped in jute sacks with the Food Ministry label on them.

There is no doubt rice from government depots are entering black market and a syndicate of powerful people are engaged. The incident came to the fore when the country is suffering from shortage of rice in government stock and it is importing huge amount of food grains from abroad to beef up the depleted stock. Price is now high and black-marketeers are active to take advantage of the situation to mint illegal fortune.

The matter is quite intriguing how the stock from government depots is slipping out when the stock records appear normal. Many believe that it may be a case of outright theft or government distributors who get allotment to deliver the stock to local dealers are selling their vouchers to the hoarders and black-marketeers instead of reaching the supply to the dealers. Such business is now highly profiteering slowing supply to the market to create artificial supply crisis. They are selling the stock at higher price.

Reports said law enforcers have arrested Manager of the Halisahar Central Storage Depot (CSD), from where the rice was allegedly stolen and four truckers who were later sent to jail by a local court. But surprisingly inspection of the officials of the Directorate at all 126 Government Food Depots in Chittagong found the stock in tact. Many point finger at a big powerful racketeers group engaging in the theft and having their reach to depots documents to cover the theft.

We have previously seen huge corruption in importing wheat from Brazil and France and senior Food Ministry officials were engaged to cover up the corruption. They also made secret payment for the sub-standard wheat. In fact theft and misuse of food stock at government godowns are taking place almost unabated and depot officials are very clever to cover up the removal of food grains perfecting the documents with protection from above. Theft and secret selling of food grains from Government Depots are good business and the latest arrest in the Port City shows vested interest groups are operating without fear of the law and punishment by the courts. They can manage and escape.

We ask the law enforcing agencies to arrest the main culprits – two businessmen who are now on run to put them on trial. Plundering of food stock can’t go this way.