Shahjahanpur

The district administration in Shahjahanpur has recommended the suspension of a government wheat procurement centre in-charge after irregularities were found in the purchase process, officials said on Tuesday.

Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Rajneesh Kumar Mishra said the procurement centre had been set up within the mandi premises. However, an inspection revealed that the centre itself was largely non-functional, while wheat was being procured from a location just outside the mandi.

The issue came to light after BJP MLA Arvind Kumar Singh visited the site late Monday night and flagged the irregularity.

Officials said around 180 quintals of wheat were recovered from the spot, with government-issued bags allegedly being used for packaging the grain.

According to a local trader, the government-fixed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat is Rs 2,585 per quintal, while the open market rate is around Rs 2,270, raising concerns over possible malpractice.

ADM Mishra said a detailed inquiry report has been submitted to District Magistrate Dharmendra Pratap Singh.

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Based on the findings, the district magistrate has recommended the suspension of procurement centre in-charge Tripuresh Tripathi, he added.