Telangana: Crackdown on Fine Rice Smuggling to Maha

By Pillalamarri Srinivas

Revenue enforcement teams, civil supplies officials and local police have stepped up vigilance against the illegal transportation of fine variety rice, distributed free through the public distribution system (PDS) from Komaram Bheem and Mancherial districts to Maharashtra. Acting on intelligence, police discovered stocks of fine rice stored in private residences, ready for smuggling across the border.

Investigations revealed that individuals previously involved in transporting coarse rice (Doddu Biyyam) are now engaged in smuggling the fine variety of rice using similar routes.

The smuggling activity is concentrated in mandals sharing borders with Maharashtra, particularly in Sirpur (T) and Kuntala mandals. Raids in these areas uncovered illegal rice movements backed by financial support from Maharashtra-based traders, who are reportedly investing in local agents operating in Telangana’s border villages.

However, officials said there was a 60 per cent decline in the illegal transportation of rice to Maharashtra after the state government started supplying fine variety rice to the BPL families, when compared to coarse rice (Doddu Biyyam). Local agents are purchasing the rice from ration card holders at Rs 16–18 per kg and selling it to Maharashtra agents for Rs 23 per kg. In turn, it is being retailed to consumers in Maharashtra for Rs 35–40 per kg, making the trade highly profitable.

During recent raids, police and revenue task force officials seized four quintals of fine rice on the outskirts of Parigaon village and another 6.5 quintals from the house of one Anuradha in Dorpelli village, Sirpur (T) mandal. In a separate action, the revenue department cancelled 11 ration cards in Kuchulapaur village, Tandur mandal, after families were found selling their government-supplied rice to a kirana shop.

Officials said the smuggling network has grown into a well-organised operation involving people from various backgrounds. In one instance, Chowdhury Moreshwar from Podsa, a bordering village in Maharashtra, was caught transporting fine rice on a bike along with two others. There are also strong allegations that ration shop leaders and stock point incharges are colluding with smugglers, helping collect and dispatch rice illegally into Maharashtra, where it commands higher prices.

Tandur tahsildar Imran Khan Patan said authorities have intensified surveillance, particularly after smugglers began transporting rice on motorcycles to avoid detection. “We are trying to discourage beneficiaries from selling their rice to middlemen,” he said. He added that some beneficiaries, who keep their ration cards mainly for availing Arogyasri benefits, are influenced by agents to part with their rice allotment instead of collecting it from fair price shops.

This article has been republished from The Deccan Chronicle.