The Goa government’s promise to modernise Civil Supplies warehouses with conveyor belts, forklifts and other material-handling equipment appears to have made little progress, even as the department continues to face controversies over procurement and storage.
Earlier this year, the government said the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department had initiated an assessment and evaluation for installing conveyor-belt and forklift systems at its godowns.
“The proposal is presently at the evaluation stage,” an official said recently. However, there has been no indication of when the project will move beyond evaluation, while officials have remained tight-lipped about its progress.
The delay comes against the backdrop of several controversies that have dogged the department in recent years.
An internal vigilance inquiry into the Tur Dal procurement case in 2022 found irregularities in the purchase of 1,200 metric tonnes of dal without Finance Department approval. Officials had represented the commodity as a non-perishable item. Due to alleged administrative delays, more than 241,000 kg of the procured dal deteriorated in government godowns and was declared unfit for consumption, resulting in a loss of about Rs 1.9 crore.
The department has also faced allegations of diversion and black marketing of PDS rice and wheat. Crime Branch raids in separate cases uncovered consignments of subsidised grain allegedly being transported to Karnataka and Maharashtra. Investigations also pointed to alleged collusion involving traders, fair price shop dealers and Civil Supplies inspectors accused of failing to properly verify stocks and registers.
Storage conditions have repeatedly raised concerns. In mid-2023, ration cardholders in Mormugao and Vasco reported rice infested with maggots, mites and fungus, triggering protests.
More recently, complaints over damaged and poor-quality wheat in Ponda prompted the department to order an immediate halt to its sale and distribution. Fair price shop dealers were directed to segregate the affected stock and arrange replacements.
Regarding the upgrading of CCTV cameras at taluka-level warehouses, officials said the existing systems had been reviewed and major repairs undertaken about a year ago, adding that they were functional. A phased upgrade, they said, would be taken up through competitive bidding. Department officials remained unavailable for comment.
