Jagatsinghpur: Jagatsingpur District Collector suspended two officials at a paddy procurement centre (mandi) in Machhagaon under Balikuda block on Sunday for alleged irregularity and dereliction of duty following multiple grievances from local farmers.
The suspended officers are the nodal officer at the mandi nodal officer Mohan Kumar Jena and Mandi Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) officer Sishir Kumar Panda.
According to reports, a dispute surfaced at the mandi over token distribution resuting in confrontations between the local farmers and the PACS staff some four days ago. Following an investigation into the issue, the District Collector suspended the two officials to resolve the ongoing problems and ensure seamless paddy procurement.
On January 27, Food Supplies Minister Krushna Patra had himself brought allegations of irregularities at some mandis against some rice mills during ongoing paddy procurement.
