Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): Five cooperative societies’ in-charges have been suspended by district collector Karmaveer Sharma for alleged irregularities in wheat and paddy procurement, officials said on Tuesday.
The collector has been instructed to register a criminal case against all five in-charges of cooperative societies and recover the amount of embezzlement.
According to information, these cooperative societies’ in-charges were assigned responsibilities of procurement for paddy and wheat for the year 2020-21. During inspection, it was found that sub-standard qualities’ wheat and paddy were procured at these five procurement centres. Further investigation carried out by district cooperative society also revealed several irregularities in payments against procurement, causing loss of crores of rupees to district cooperative societies.
Chief Executive officer (CEO), district cooperative society, Jabalpur Gyanendra Pandey, said Ramrudra Sharma from Patan, Munnalal from Shahpura, Fagchandra Chadar from Sihora, Rohit Sharma from Belkheda and Gendala Patel from Barkheda were found indulged in irregularities, therefore, they have been suspended from their posts with immediate effects.
He further said that notices were issued to these five cooperative societies’ in-charges but they failed to submit their replies in given time.
This is not the first time when irregularities have been found in procurements. In the year 2013-14, a similar scam was found in Sarond Cooperative Society of Patan tehsil in which 12 people including committee manager Gendalal Patel were found guilty after which in 2019, directions were issued for FIR and recovery against them. But this order has not been implemented to date, rather Gendalal was kept in the same post.
