A major scam has emerged within Tripura’s Public Distribution System (PDS), uncovering a deep-rooted nexus involving certain officials from the Food Department and contractors. Allegedly, they have been operating a covert financial network to manipulate the procurement, supply, and distribution of essential food items. The revelation has sparked public outrage, with growing demands for a thorough high-level investigation into the corruption.
Recent reports highlight serious irregularities in the supply of pulses intended for public distribution at the Churaibari food godown in the Dharmanagar subdivision. On Friday morning, a discrepancy was noticed during the unloading of a truck that had arrived from Jirania. Thanks to the vigilance of a labourer, a scam was uncovered—each 30 kg sack of dal reportedly contained 3 to 4 kg less than the standard weight.
Out of 834 dal sacks delivered, 154 were found to be underweight, resulting in a total shortfall of 534 kg. This alarming discovery has triggered widespread concern. The incident occurred around 11 AM when the truck, loaded by Mahabir Dal Mills Pvt. Ltd. from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, arrived at the Churaibari godown.
Bibhrato Deb, the head labour supervisor at the godown, confirmed that the irregularity was first detected by a labourer named Makram Ali. Upon weighing, some bags were found to weigh only 26.2 to 27 kg instead of the standard 30 kg. Notably, bags with single stitching were found to be accurate, whereas those with double stitching were consistently underweight, suggesting a deliberate method of tampering.
Godown in-charge Achintya Pal stated that the consignment, totaling 25.20 metric tons of dal, was intended for 33 ration shops in the Kadamtala block and the ICDS scheme. He claimed to have documented the actual weight received in the delivery challan and emphasized that the relevant authorities should investigate any misconduct.
Preliminary findings indicate that the truck was loaded at Jirania railway station on Thursday evening and reached Churaibari the next day. Strong suspicions point to the dal being siphoned off at Jirania itself. Insiders allege the existence of a long-standing racket involving a syndicate that operates within the Jirania facility and the state food department headquarters.
Amid mounting public pressure, there is a growing demand for an in-depth probe to uncover the truth and bring those behind this systematic theft of public food supplies to justice.