Thandla: Thandla kirshi upaj mandi president Mannu Damore has levelled serious allegation of nexus between big traders and mandi employees which is taking toll on cotton growers here in the area. Illegal transportation of cotton from other parts of the country is not only affecting local farmers, but also causing financial loss to the mandi as buyers are evading mandi tax as well.
As per the rules, buyers have to pay 1.2 per cent of total price of cotton if they buy cotton from other areas. In case buyers purchase cotton from other states, this tax is raised to five per cent. Damore claimed that as illegal transportation of cotton from Rajasthan’s Kushalgarh is going on without any relevant documents thanks to nexus between mandi officials and big traders helping cotton factory owners to earn huge profits.
Damore alleged that daily several quintals of cotton are brought here in the area from Kushalgarh, Rajasthan. Quality of cotton is not up to the mark and it gets used at Bafana Ginning Factory in Meghnagar, which is illegal. He added that cotton from Rajasthan is not up to the mark and we call it bhura cotton. At ginning factory, workers mix this cotton with local cotton and sell in the local market.
Recently, we caught one tempo loaded with cotton and asked about relevant documents; driver denied availability of any relevant documents with him. When contacted mandi secretary Bhadwal Singh Parihar to get his version, Parihar claimed that under Section 19, if buyer purchases cotton from other areas, he has to pay mandi tax within next 15 days. Apart from that buyer must have non-objection certificate as well. If buyer purchases cotton from other state, he has to pay five per cent tax to mandi. Parihar said that he will look into the matter.
