NIZAMABAD: Fine quality rice meant for government welfare hostels are being misused on a large scale in the Nizamabad district.
There is a deep nexus between a few hostel welfare officers and smugglers which have now paved the way for a diversion of subsidised rice to the black market.
Shockingly, the rice is being diverted either from welfare hostels or transport points in the district.
On a tip-off, officials seized 34 quintals of fine rice in a house at Chandrasekhar colony in Nizamabad on January 12. Following the investigation, officials found that the rice was meant for welfare hostels.
District collector, M. Rammohan Rao immediately suspended two hostel welfare officers for illegal diversion of fine quality rice.
There are 42 welfare hostels in Nizamabad district and around 4,295 students have been staying there to pursue their school education.
The TRS government proudly supplies fine quality rice for hostelites. The Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has said on various occasions that whatever rice his grandson eats in CM camp office is also served to hostel students in the state.
In Nizamabad district, 60 metric tonnes of rice worth '20.80 lakh are being supplied to these hostels.
Allegedly, a few hostel welfare officers created a syndicate to divert this rice into the black market. With the help of rice smugglers, the rice is shifted to the neighbouring Maharashtra state and other shops in Nizamabad district.
Speaking to this correspondent, a senior officer said on condition of anonymity, that the involvement of 9 hostel welfare officers came to the fore during the inquiry.
“The CCTV footage from social welfare hostels will be verified to fix the errant officials,” he said. “Hard disks were seized from various hostels and the cops kept vigil on mandal level stock points,” he explained. “We will take action against these hostel welfare officers, who regularly diverted the rice from hostels,” he added.
On the other hand, ABVP activists ‘caught’ provisional items in Yellareddy town on Wednesday while shifting from the tribal welfare girls’ hostel. It is believed that the items would have reached hostel warden, Jyothi Laxmi.
The student union leaders complained to the Yellareddy mandal tahsildar about the shifting of hostel items. Officials have begun an inquiry into the incident, to initiate action against the hostel warden.
