DPC shut for 3 days over irregularities

Bagavath told farmers that the closure was to get new staff for the Tamaraipakkam DPC, while the present three personnel would be ‘disciplined.’

The farmers were being asked to pay Rs 2 per kilo of paddy “to be given to higher ups” while paddy loads were also not correctly paid for, farmers complained. D Vigneswaran of the same village in a letter to the Ranipet Collector stated that as against the government rate of Rs 19.05 per kilo of paddy, they were paid only Rs 17.05, “but, farmers are billed for the full Rs 19.05,” he added.

Another scam was to bill the farmers for lesser number of paddy bags. “If we handed over 100 paddy bags each of 40 kgs we would be billed for only 90 bags with the remaining 10 bags amount being shared by others, farmers revealed. Elaborating, Vigneswaran said that DPC officials also purchased paddy at reduced rates (less than that offered by the DPC) and sold it to the same DPC under the names of local farmers. Farmers kept quiet as they were paid the reduced amount immediately, it was said. Also there were delays of up to a month in procuring and billing farmers’ paddy, he added.

Another farmer S Parameswari, said that her paddy which was sent to the DPC on March 10 was procured only on April 2. She said that 173 bags paddy which should have fetched her Rs 1,35,780.78 at the government rate got her only Rs 1,21,525.58 at the reduced rate, in her bank account. Similarly, her next load of 83 bags each weighing 41.20 kilos sent on March 12 was procured only on April 6 and fetched her only Rs 58,304.18 at the reduced rate instead of the Rs 65,143, she should have received. Similarly, two other farmers, M Arumugam and P Kumar, who handed over 83 bags and 63 bags respectively were also short changed by officials.

Vigneswaran added that the DPC staff told them to take back the paddy when they objected to the shortchanging tactics. However, this was the first time that officials have stepped in to initiate action to ensure that paddy movement is not affected to the DPCs.