Covered semi-godowns to hold 2.86 lakh MT soon: Food Minister

TIRUCHY: Covered semi-godowns with a total capacity of 2.86 lakh MT would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 238 crore for safe storage of harvested paddy, said Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R Sakkarapani in Tiruvarur on Friday.

After inspecting the Kidarankondan open paddy godown, the Minister said that the paddy procured through the DPCs have been stocked in as many as 103 open godowns. But, to stock the procured paddy safely, Rs 238 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of covered semi-godowns with a total capacity to stock 2.86 lakh MT. Accordingly, Tiruvarur would have godowns at Kudavasal with a capacity of 4,500 MT, Mudikondan with 7,000 MT, Tiruvarur Civil Supplies Commercial Corporation with 7,250 MT would be constructed.

Similar such godowns would be established at Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruchy, Pudukkottai, Ariyalur and Cuddalore districts too, the Minister said.

Meanwhile, a godown with a capacity of 18,000 MT would be established at Kappalur in Madurai and 3,500 MT capacity godown at Tirumangalam, he added.

Stating that Chief Minister MK Stalin has instructed the officials to assure that the paddy procured were not damaged due to the rains, the Food Minister said, adequate stocks of tarpaulin sheets have been distributed and officials from the departments have been asked to initiate protective measures, he added.

Meanwhile, the government has been initiating steps to transfer the procured paddy from the DPCs to rice mills without stocking them in open godowns.

Speaking in Thanjavur, the Minister pointed out that there were only 378 mills during the previous AIADMK government. He said that the Food Corporation of India suggested having at least 106 paddy sorting machines, but the previous AIADMK government failed to do establish them.

“However after the DMK came to power, the number of mills increased to 637 and the Civil supplies Commercial Corporation increased the number of mills to 21. Among them as many as 658 sorting machines have been provided to several mills,” the Minister said.