Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 29 : The Telangana Civil Supplies Department conducted surprise raids on retail and wholesale rice dealers in Karmanghat, Hyderabad, and detected irregularities in rice stocks, officials said on Thursday.
Shashidhar Raju, Superintendent of the Civil Supplies Enforcement Task Force, said the raids targeted locations where rice was allegedly being hoarded to drive up prices. Officials also found rice bags carrying incorrect weight declarations, raising concerns over alleged cheating and tax evasion.
"The team is raiding the locations where rice hoarding is being done to raise the price of rice. Several bags have 26kg printed on them, but they contain 25kg of rice. This is a violation. There is no GST on 26kg but on 25kg. So, this is being done for tax evasion. This is a kind of cheating," Raju said.
He further alleged that some dealers were operating without trade licences. Officials seized certain rice brands and collected samples for further examination.
"They do not even have a trade licence. A few brands were also seized. Samples have been collected. Criminal and legal action will be taken. Seizures are being made here," Raju said.
The department said legal action would be taken in connection with the irregularities detected during the raids.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, the Delhi government has seized 948.9 litres of ghee during raids at three locations as part of its ongoing drive against food adulteration during the festive season.
The raids were conducted at Bhogal Market, Najafgarh Market and Shiv Vihar on Wednesday. Officials seized 389.9 litres of ghee from Bhogal, 338 litres from Najafgarh and 221 litres from Shiv Vihar, where the team conducted a joint operation with Delhi Police. Fifteen ghee samples were collected from Bhogal and Najafgarh and sent for laboratory testing.