Complaint lodged against paddy procurement centre operators in Mancherial

A farmer from Jaipur mandal has alleged that operators of the Kishtapur procurement centre swindled Rs.3 crore by fabricating paddy procurement records. He filed a complaint with the Collector, as a similar scam involving another centre in the region recently came to light.

Mancherial: A farmer has alleged that operators of a procurement centre at Kishtapur village in Jaipur mandal swindled Rs.3 crore by fabricating paddy procurement records. He submitted a complaint to Collector Kumar Deepak seeking action against the operators on Monday.

In his petition, farmer Lambu Shivaprasad Reddy said the operators committed irregularities while procuring paddy from the Rabi 2024–25 season. He claimed they misappropriated Rs.1.5 crore by showing false data related to coarse variety grains and swindled another Rs.1.40 crore in the name of procuring fine variety paddy.

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He said the area under paddy cultivation and the actual yield did not match the quantities recorded as procured by the centre. He alleged that the operators fabricated records and diverted public money with the help of certain officials from the civil supplies department. He added that the issue had been brought to the notice of senior officials and the vigilance wing.

Recently, a case was registered against 13 persons of another procurement centre catering to Narsingapur and Maddulapalli villages in Jaipur mandal for allegedly swindling Rs.1.39 crore. One of the accused, rice mill owner Thatipalli Saikumar, has already been arrested, while Srirampur Inspector G Venuchandar was placed under suspension for allegedly diluting the case.