Date:27/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/27/stories/2006112715010600.htm

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Mystery over wheat bags' disappearance

S. Vijay Kumar

FCI officials arrive from New Delhi

MADURAI: Mystery shrouds the alleged disappearance of 25,000 imported wheat bags from consignments sent to Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses in Kerala and Karnataka from the Tuticorin Port in the last three months.

On instructions from the FCI Chairman and Managing Director, A.K. Dubey, a team of officials from the FCI's Vigilance Organisation, New Delhi, arrived in Tamil Nadu on Saturday for investigation. The issue came to light when Senior Regional Managers of both the States lodged a complaint of "abnormal shortage" of wheat bags. Investigations revealed that 21,300 bags were found missing at the receiving end (38 destinations) in Kerala. In 19 places, the transit loss was more than 500 bags.

Sources in the FCI told The Hindu that 1.6 lakh tonnes of wheat from Australia arrived by four ships — m.v. Equinox Dawn, m.v. Split, m.v World Trader and m.v. Pacific Emerald. The wheat was despatched by 67 railway wagons after standardisation.

In Kerala, where a major chunk of the missing wheat was reported, FCI officials maintained that unloading was done as per the procedures laid down and in presence of senior officials. On his part, the Stevedoring Contractor, T.P.S. Pon Kumaran, who handled the wheat consignment at Tuticorin, said the unloading/loading was done in the presence of a FCI team. "I have evidence to prove that the quantity unloaded from ships was the same as the quantity loaded in railway wagons. The entire process was done on the port premises and railway receipts clearly indicate the quantity loaded. The FCI officials have certified that the handling was satisfactory in the work sheet," he claimed.

The Stevedoring Licence of Mr. Kumaran was cancelled after he failed to dismantle the warehouse constructed on the port land. "The FCI officials at the destination points have not collected seal cards from railway wagons. Moreover, the process of calculating the transit loss is not foolproof," he claimed.

The actual losses would be ascertained after obtaining liquidation particulars from the warehouses. The losses sustained would be recovered form the Stevedoring Contractor from the credit available in his account, a FCI official said.