GUWAHATI: The Goalpara district administration has seized about 85 sacks of subsidised rice from a riverine area in the western Assam district believed to be “illegally” transported by agents from Barpeta for sale in Garo Hills.
As it is, the district administration has over the past week, been closely monitoring the routes through which these agents/traders reportedly try to sneak the rice to Meghalaya.
The rice of ‘Porimol’ variety is subsidised to as low as Re 1 per kg and meant for beneficiaries in Assam under the National Food Security Act.
“On the basis of information received, some agents from Barpeta attempted to sneak three rice-laden country boats to Simlitola ghat on Thursday. But after they were informed that district officials were waiting there to catch them red-handed, they hurriedly aborted the plan and fled. However, during the process, two boats capsized in the Brahmaputra. Yesterday, they retrieved the sacks from the river and unpacked the rice near the ghat to dry. But we have seized the rice,” Saurav Kumar Das, executive magistrate, Goalpara, who is investigating the case, told The Shillong Times on Saturday.
The items, which were apparently repacked in sacks bearing stickers, have for now been handed over by the district officials to a cooperative society.
The district administration has started a magisterial probe into activity on the basis a newspaper report alleging that the rice is collected through agents in the char areas of Goalpara, re-packaged and thereafter supplied to the neighbouring state for a whopping profit.
The findings of the probe will be submitted to the Goalpara deputy commissioner by Monday.
“We have been carrying out a drive against such activities over the past week. As of now, it has taken effect at Dubapara where the activity has stopped. But as Simlitola ghat is quite remote, we believe it was easier for agents to carry out their activities. However, we are keeping vigil in these riverine areas, including Karbala and Sanyasighat,” Das said.
The district officials are also keeping vigil on routes such as Forest Gate Bazar and Nepalishuti, where the rice is unloaded and loaded for transport via Krishnai en route to Garo Hills in Meghalaya
The media report had alleged that the rice is collected from beneficiaries, cooperative agents and other brokers from Barpeta, Bongaigaon and Dhubri and thereafter transported to riverside godowns of Goalpara through the Brahmaputra.
The items are thereafter re-packaged and supplied to Meghalaya by trucks during the night for a whopping profit.
“Our action so far has been based on information even as we are trying to gather concrete evidence regarding what has been reported in the media,” he said.