Chandigarh
30 May 2023
DIVYA AZAD
Two officials of the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department left a Sheller owner of Bagha Purana on the brink of ruin when he refused to give a bribe of Rs 40 lakh. The officials have illegally blacklisted the Sheller and now influencing the police also, even after the court stay on the act of blacklisting.
Rohit Mittal, the owner of Saran Rice Mill located at village Lande (Bagha Purana), narrated his painful story to the media, saying that the director of the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department and the food secretary, blacklisted his Sheller for three years on the false charge of keeping 33,000 bags of paddy extra than the government purchase. He even clarified with proof that the extra bags were purchased privately.
He said both the officials were adamant about selling the paddy in the open market. They registered a criminal case against the owner’s mother, however, she is in no way involved in the business of Sheller. He approached the court that set aside the decision of the authorities to blacklist Sheller giving the status quo.
Afterward, the officials took away two trucks of paddy from the Sheller with the help of two brokers. When Mittal lodged a police complaint on this theft, the said officials started pressurizing the police also. He has appealed to the Punjab Chief Minister of taking appropriate action against both the accused as the case is under consideration at the Vigilance Department.
