CSC introduces road transport of gunny bags to rice millers

Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand, IPS, who was paying special attention for recovery of gunny bags lying with rice-millers for several years, also introduced a new system in transportation of new gunny bags resulted in the saving of Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore per year.

 

Earlier, new gunny bags used to be transported by rail from Kolkata to the State. Requirement of new gunny bags for Kharif and Rabi seasons put together was estimated at nine crore gunnies. Rail transport used to take a lot of time and caused inordinate delay in loading and unloading by hamalis before it reached the destination. By adopting new road transportation system, time delays are drastically cut by 75% and it used to cost Rs 1590 per bale (500 gunny bags) by rail. Now by road transport, it will to cost only Rs 1000 to 1100 per bale saving Rs 1.40 lakh on transport of 1.5 lakh bales during Kharif season. The gunnies already moved by the road from Kolkota to all the districts of Telangana resulted in net saving of Re 1 per one gunny. Therefore, the total saving on eight crore gunnies will be Rs 8 crore per year. The Commissioner has informed that the Civil Supplies Corporation has decided to move the remaining 7.50 crore gunnies also by road in view of savings.

 

The Civil Supplies Department has decided to purchase four lakh MT of “Doddu-Biyyam” (coarse rice) from the rice millers to meet the requirement of PDS in the State. It was agreed to purchase @ Rs 2400 per quintal, with an understanding that the Corporation shall bear the cost of two gunnies costing Rs 106 as the said proposition may lead to financial loss to the Corporation, the Commissioner held discussions with the rice millers again and convinced them that they can utilize two gunnies already lying with them under CMR accounts for delivering “Doddu Biyyam”. This has resulted in a saving of Rs.13.27 crore to the government and at the same time the gunnies lying with the millers will reach Civil Supplies Corporation from time to time.

 

Commissioner C.V. Anand also initiated steps to recover Rs 66 crore from gunny bags stagnated in rice mills since a long time. It is the good old practice of corporation to provide bags to millers for sending the procured paddy for CMR. Millers will send back the rice after milling in the same bags (2:1 ratio) keeping the bags with them. The millers were keeping the remaining bags with them though it was mandatory to send back the remaining bags accumulated at their mills, which resulted in stagnation of onetime used bag and Rs 8.50 for twice used. The amount for non-returned gunny bags is calculated at Rs.66 crore and steps are being taken to collect the money.

The Commissioner has directed the officials to collect the amounts by preparing detailed lists of the millers from whom the bags were due. This proposal was approved by the governing council at its meeting. (NSS)