No need to pay extra handling charges at paddy direct procurement centres, says Tirunelveli Collector

District Collector Anand Mohan has made it clear that the official machinery was keen on curbing irregularities at the paddy direct procurement centres, where the officials reportedly demand up to ₹60 per bag as ‘handling charges’ to be paid to the load-men.

Raising this issue during the farmers’ grievances redress meeting held at the Collectorare on Friday, the agriculturists said the officials manning the paddy direct procurement centres were demanding ₹50 – ₹60 per bag of 50 kg paddy as ‘handling charges’. While paddy from the farms of VIPs was procured immediately, ordinary farmers were being forced to wait for at least two days by the DPC officials to sell their produce, they charged.

Responding to the allegations, District Collector Anand Mohan said the district administration had set-up DPCs at several places across the district wherever it was required so as to help the farmers and weed-out middlemen. The officials had been told not to collect any money from the farmers except the ‘handling charges’ of ₹10 per bag.

“If the DPC officials demand anything more than this prescribed amount, the affected farmers can register complaints against the officials concerned. Moreover, the officials have been instructed not to give any preferential treatment to anyone coming to the DPC to sell the paddy and it should be done on ‘first come first served’ basis,” Mr. Anand Mohan said.

As the farmers once again raised the issue of non-payment of money for the paddy procured by the Union Government, the Collector said the Secretary of Agriculture of Tamil Nadu Government had taken-up this issue with the Secretary of Agriculture, Government of India. Consequently, ₹2 crore of the outstanding ₹3.50 crore had been released by the Centre. Hence, the remaining ₹1.50 crore would get credited in the accounts of the farmers concerned within a week, Mr. Anand Mohan assured.

When the farmers complained about the uncontrolled dumping of waste in the North and South Kodaimelazhagiyaan Channels, the Collector instructed the officials of Vickramasingapuram and Ambasamudram municipalities and the Kallidaikurichi town panchayat to monitor strictly to avert this violation. He also ordered the officials to install steel fence along the bank of the Tamirabharani and install CCTV cameras.

“Even though we take action against those who dump waste and discard clothes in the Tamirabharnai or in the irrigation channels and have deployed a 10-member team to monitor it, the people are still violating the instructions. Some of the officials have been verbally abused, threatened and even assaulted. Hence, the people should cooperate with the district administration in conserving the Tamirabharani that gives us drinking water,” Mr. Anand Mohan said.

When the Collector asked the agriculturists to insure their crops, the farmers said some of them were yet to receive the crop loss benefits even though they had insured paddy last year. The Collector asked the officials to look into this complaint immediately.