HC seeks Tamil Nadu's reply on steps to curb graft at procurement centres

MADURAI: The Madras high court has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to explain the steps taken by it to prevent corruption and malpractices at direct procurement centres (DPCs) established for procuring paddy from farmers.
A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice L Victoria Gowri issued the interim directions on a plea by a farmer who flagged the irregularities and cited articles published in The Times of India on the menace.
In his PIL, Swamimalai Sundara Vimal Nathan, the district secretary of the Thanjai Maavatta Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, said the DPCs, established for procuring paddy, have turned out to be the biggest hub of exploitation of farmers.
The PIL said officials had been charging 1 to 1.25 for a kg of paddy from the farmers. Though the staff at the DPCs are government servants with hefty salary, they demand bribes from the farmers, he said. There is also delay in procurement due to which the paddy gets drenched in rain, the PIL said.
Citing a division bench order in 2021, the PIL-petitioner said the court had issued directions to authorities regarding the procurement of paddy at DPCs. The court had directed the government to establish sufficient number of DPCs with storage facilities and to introduce a token system for procurement. Despite this, malpractices continue, he said.
In this regard, he said TOI had published articles regarding malpractices at DPCs - 'Farmers lose out as State Govt Centres turn Exploitation Hubs' dated August 12, 2021 and 'After taking bribe, they rob farmers' dated March 9, 2023.
The petitioner further sought printed receipts for every bag carrying details like the quantity, date, time and name of the farmer who came to supply/sell the paddy at the DPCs in Madurai and Thanjavur districts.
The state government, on its part, submitted that necessary steps were being taken by the government to prevent malpractices at DPCs.