Illegal hoarding of 20,000 quintals of wheat, mustard found in Sirsa
The Haryana Marketing Board has launched a major crackdown against large-scale illegal hoarding of wheat and mustard in Sirsa district. Two days of surprise inspections, teams seized 20,231 quintals of illegally stored wheat and mustard across 17 private firms in Kalanwali of Sirsa district, resulting in a total penalty of over Rs 28 lakh, including market fee and fines.
Due to a bumper wheat harvest in Sirsa this season, many traders, factory owners, and commission agents have started buying grain directly from farmers and stockpiling it in private warehouses. This has significantly reduced the arrival of wheat in mandis and caused revenue losses worth crores to the state, which collects 2% market fee and 2% Haryana Rural Development Fund (HRDF) on wheat and mustard purchases.
Acting on complaints, the Marketing Board teams, under Zonal Administrator Rahul Mittal, began raids on Tuesday. The team inspected wheat and mustard procurement and raided rice mills, cotton factories, and warehouses.
As per officials, 17,819 quintals of wheat and 2,412 quintals of mustard were found stored without proper documentation or fees. Rahul Mittal told ‘The Tribune’ that strict action would be taken against anyone found guilty of fee evasion or black marketing, adding that officials involved in irregularities would not be spared.
District Marketing Enforcement Officer Rahul Kundu confirmed that the board was working to collect a 4% fee along with an additional fine of 25% to 50% from the accused firms, totalling over Rs 28 lakh.
Some factory owners have criticised the raids, claiming the board exaggerated grain quantities. They said they were willing to pay the required fees but alleged that the estimates were made without actual weighing.
Meanwhile, according to sources, traders in Sirsa city and nearby villages have illegally stockpiled a large quantity of wheat. Around 60,000 quintals of wheat is reported to be stored in private warehouses.
Haryana Tribune