PDS Rice Scam: Customs to Help AP in Curbing Illegal Exports, Says Official

 Visakhapatnam: Chief Commissioner of Customs here, Sanjay Rathi, has said his department would fully cooperate with the AP government in its efforts to stop illegal exports of ration rice etc through the state’s ports.

Rathi told a meeting of stakeholders on Friday extra efforts were required from all concerned to stamp out the menace of such illegal exports. He said the fraudulent smuggling and export of PDS rice was not only illegal but also “a big blow to the poor and disadvantaged sections for whom this rice is meant.”

“The Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Vijayawada, convened a meeting in Kakinada on Dec 4 with all the stakeholders and discussed ways and means to curb the menace,” he said.

It was after this that the Visakhapatnam Zone convened a meeting of all the stakeholders from across Andhra Pradesh on Friday.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the rice exporters association, rice millers associations, the Cocanada chamber of commerce, the Customs brokers association, officers from Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram as well as those from the Kakinada Anchorage Port, the stevedores association, and representatives from major CFS and logistic companies; and officers from the cvil supplies department, Visakhapatnam.

The Cocanada (Kakinada) chamber of commerce representatives told the commissioner that it would be better to curb the menace before the cargo entered the port, so that the legal exports are not disturbed.

Civil supplies department officials of Visakhapatnam district, who are also under a cloud of suspicion, said they were seizing the PDS rice and initiating cases against the offenders under Section 6 of the essential commodities act.

N Sridhar, principal commissioner, Visakhapatnam Customs House, explained the procedures and provisions with respect to export of rice. He said the department would make efforts to curb the illegal export of PDS rice. Due diligence is being done while processing the documents related to rice export, he claimed.