Paddy procurement at Kalanwali grain market in Sirsa district is likely to be disrupted after the Market Committee suspended the licences of 16 commission agents for three days for allegedly bagging paddy without removing grass, straw and other impurities.
The action triggered protests by the Kachha Arhtiya Association and the Arhtiya Association at the Market Committee office on Tuesday evening. The associations threatened to suspend procurement from Wednesday if the licences were not restored, raising concerns over paddy purchase and lifting during the peak procurement season.
The action followed repeated inspections and warnings by the Market Committee secretary. Officials found that paddy was being packed into bags without proper cleaning and winnowing. The committee had earlier issued notices to 55 commission agents and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on each for the alleged violations. The licences of 16 firms were suspended on Tuesday after the irregularities reportedly continued.
Arhtiya Association president Pradeep Jain said traders had submitted a written representation to the Market Committee secretary, stating that farmers’ tractor-trailers loaded with paddy should not be unloaded under the prevailing conditions. He alleged that the traders were subsequently pressured into agreeing to the unloading.
Jain said cleaning large heaps of paddy was difficult, though traders were making efforts to remove impurities by turning the grain over. He also objected to notices issued around 4 pm, alleging that the commission agents had been given only 12 hours to respond. The associations have urged traders to keep their shops closed.
District Marketing Enforcement Officer Rahul Kundu said notices had been issued earlier and the licences of 16 commission agents had now been suspended. He said compliance with procurement rules was mandatory and confirmed that 55 notices had been issued to commission agents during the current season.
In a separate development, inspections found discrepancies of one to two percentage points between moisture readings recorded by eight testing machines and those of the government machine. The commission agents concerned were issued notices and directed to get their machines certified by an authorised agency.
In Dabwali grain market, two firms were fined Rs 2,400 and Rs 4,000 for failing to clean paddy.
