The simmering tension between Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law and Food Minister Adaish Partap Kairon is hitting decision making in the government. Over the past five months, bickering between the two has not just led to the slowing down of the state’s ambitious plans to set up scientific storage for foodgrain, but it may also hit the crucial paddy procurement in the state that begins on October 1.
As result if this tension, the state still does not have a uniform policy in place to store the foodgrain it produces. Even as two separate departments of — Punjab Warehousing Corporation and PUNGRAIN — have floated tenders to construct silos having capacity of almost 7 lakh tonnes, each department, one headed by Sukhbir and the other by Kairon, have different policies for the construction of silos.
With the state expected to procure a bumper 137 lakh tonnes of paddy, the policy on transportation of foodgrain from mandis to the rice shellers is still not clear. Though Kairon reportedly told deputy commissioners that the mandis allocated to procurement agencies and shellers attached to the mandis are not to be changed “under any political pressure”, sources say the Deputy CM has told the DCs that they can use their discretion.
The trouble between the two started when Sukhbir told deputy commissioners to ensure that the farmers were allowed to transfer the paddy from mandis to the shellers, thus eliminating the role of the powerful “transporter lobby”.
The supposed “interference” in his department did not go down well with Kairon.
An officer posted as deputy commissioner rued that in the fight between the two ministers, they would be the sufferers if they were not be able to decide whose directions to follow. “Or it could be the other way round, a double scrutiny would ensure a hassle-free procurement,” quipped another officer posted as deputy commissioner.
As result if this tension, the state still does not have a uniform policy in place to store the foodgrain it produces. Even as two separate departments of — Punjab Warehousing Corporation and PUNGRAIN — have floated tenders to construct silos having capacity of almost 7 lakh tonnes, each department, one headed by Sukhbir and the other by Kairon, have different policies for the construction of silos.
With the state expected to procure a bumper 137 lakh tonnes of paddy, the policy on transportation of foodgrain from mandis to the rice shellers is still not clear. Though Kairon reportedly told deputy commissioners that the mandis allocated to procurement agencies and shellers attached to the mandis are not to be changed “under any political pressure”, sources say the Deputy CM has told the DCs that they can use their discretion.
The trouble between the two started when Sukhbir told deputy commissioners to ensure that the farmers were allowed to transfer the paddy from mandis to the shellers, thus eliminating the role of the powerful “transporter lobby”.
The supposed “interference” in his department did not go down well with Kairon.
An officer posted as deputy commissioner rued that in the fight between the two ministers, they would be the sufferers if they were not be able to decide whose directions to follow. “Or it could be the other way round, a double scrutiny would ensure a hassle-free procurement,” quipped another officer posted as deputy commissioner.
