Checkposts, flying squads across Patiala to curb bogus paddy procurement, illegal inflow from other states

To prevent bogus purchases and illegal recycling of paddy and rice during the ongoing procurement season, the district administration has formed several teams, including police personnel.

These teams have been deployed at strategic points such as Sanjarpur Mor Shambhu Barrier, Sarala Head (Ghanaur–Ambala Road), Rohar Jagir (Julka–Pehowa Road), T-Point (Balbera–Cheeka Road), Dharmedi (Nawan Gaon–Cheeka Road), Ghaggar Bridge (Arnetu Badshahpur–Kaithal Road), and Dhabi Gujjran (Patran–Narwana Road).

As many as seven teams consisting of 200 government officers, including those from food supply, the mandi board, and police, have started checking truck bills, bilties, and other documents to verify details of vehicles entering Punjab from other states.

Sharing details, Dr Preeti Yadav, District Magistrate-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, said that the action has been taken to ensure that farmers face no inconvenience during the current kharif procurement season 2024–25.

All procurement agencies in the district are purchasing paddy brought by local farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2369 per quintal. However, she added, some unscrupulous elements attempt to bring paddy or rice from other states at cheaper rates to sell it in Punjab.

Patiala shares a long boundary with neighboring Haryana, primarily with the Ambala, Kurukshetra, and Kaithal districts of Haryana. Local farmers complain that farmers bordering villages located in Haryana bring crops to Punjab Mandis.

Similarly, some individuals have been caught in the past for procuring paddy at a cheaper price from states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and selling it in Punjab mandis—primarily Patiala—to the state procurement agencies and minting profits.

“To curb the unauthorised inflow of such grain and prevent illegal trade, flying squads have been formed under the supervision of SDMs, comprising officials from various departments and the police. These squads are also conducting surprise checks in grain markets,” said the Deputy Commissioner.

District Food and Supplies Controller Dr. Ravinder Kaur informed that police teams have set up checkposts along interstate borders to monitor vehicles entering from neighboring states.

“At every market committee level, checks are being carried out to stop the unauthorized entry of paddy and rice from outside Punjab,” she added.

Patiala