Dharmagarh: The delay in opening of procurement centres has given an upper hand to unscrupulous traders involved in smuggling of paddy from Kalahandi district. A team from the district administration raided Parla village in this block and seized three pick-up vans which were engaged in smuggling paddy to Chhattisgarh.
A team led by Dharmagarh sub-collector Padmanabh Behera and civil supply officer Prafula Kumar Das raided Parla village and seized the three paddy laden vans. It is alleged that the vans were smuggling over 150 quintals of paddy from Bijamara and Jaipatna areas in the district to Jhakarpada in Chhattisgarh. However, no one was arrested so far.
The sub-collector handed over the seized paddy and vehicles to Dharmagarh police station for an investigation after the drivers failed to produce any papers relating to the consignment.
It is alleged a non-Odia trader in Bijamara is involved in the smuggling. The district had also seized paddy stocks of the same trader last year while a consignment was being smuggling to Chhattisgarh.
Residents claimed the unscrupulous paddy traders have become active in the district due to laxity of the administration in procuring the paddy from farmers. The administration had announced to open paddy yards from November 1 but it is yet to do so.
Cashing in on the situation, unscrupulous traders lure gullible farmers to sell their paddy at throwaway prices. Of late, the administration has woken up and started raids on villages such incidents of distress sale are reported.
PNN