Panchagarh Correspondent: There have been allegations of irregularities in the official procurement of Boro-Eri in Tentulia, Panchagarh in the 2024-25 financial year.
It is learned from the Upazila Food Controller Tentulia office that a total of 437 Matric Tons of Boro-Eri paddy has been allocated for the purchase of 36 taka per kg of dry paddy in Tentulia Sadar and Bhajanpur food warehouses of the upazila in the 2024-25 financial year. Out of this, 350 Matric Tons in the first phase and 87 Matric Tons in the second phase.
The allocated Boro-Eri paddy will be directly distributed to the farmers through the Farmers’ App-A Pilot Program (WQSC) form. Later, the list will be verified and selected as per the decision of the Upazila Food Crop Procurement and Monitoring Committee, and the farmers selected through lottery will be supplied with Boro-Eri. But the discussion meeting of the Upazila Food Grain Supply and Monitoring Committee was not held. The Upazila Food Controller Office and the inspector of the concerned food warehouse have purchased Boro-Iri paddy based on a biased list. As a result, there have been allegations that genuine Boro-Iri farmers have been deprived of selling paddy in the government food warehouse.
There have been allegations that this paddy is being collected from a certain category of foria traders. General farmers and conscious circles have alleged that due to the lack of regular inspection and monitoring by the Panchagarh District Food Controller Officer, the food warehouse officials have been committing various irregularities.
Tentulia Upazila Food Controller Md. Kamruzzaman, who was on additional duty at the time and is currently the promoted Assistant Regional Food Controller in Rangpur Division, was contacted on mobile phone and said, I have been transferred from there. Now I do not care so much.
Tentulia Upazila Food Controller Md. Zakaria Ahmed said, I joined Tentulia a month ago. Farmers have purchased from the applicants on the app and the bill has been paid to their accounts. But this year, the lottery was not held.
Upazila Accounts Officer Md. Mosharraf Hossain could not provide the number and bill number of how many farmers have paid the bill to Sonali Bank in the name of the farmer.
Upazila Executive Officer Afroz Shahin Khasru and President of the Upazila Food Grains Procurement and Monitoring Committee said that no discussion meeting and lottery were held for the procurement of Boro-Eri in the financial year 2024-25. The inspector of the concerned food warehouse along with the Upazila Food Controller knows in which process the procurement was carried out.
When Panchagarh District Food Controller, Antara Mallick, was contacted on his mobile phone several times to inquire about this, he did not receive the call.#
