Massive Scam in Tripura's Public Distribution System: Dal Shortage Exposes Syndicate Involving Food Department Officials and Contractors

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, June 22, 2025

A major scam has come to light in Tripura's Public Distribution System (PDS), revealing a deep-rooted nexus between a section of Food Department officials and contractors, allegedly running a covert financial arrangement to manipulate procurement, supply, and distribution of essential commodities. Growing public outcry now demands a high-level investigation into the corruption.

According to the latest information, serious irregularities have surfaced in the supply of pulses meant for public distribution at the Churaibari food godown under the Dharmanagar subdivision. On Friday morning, a suspicious shortage in dal bags was noticed during unloading from a truck that had arrived from Jirania. The alertness of a labourer exposed the scam each 30 kg bag reportedly contained 3 to 4 kg less dal.

A total of 154 out of 834 dal sacks were found to be underweight, leading to a shortage of 534 kg of dal. The discrepancy has triggered widespread shock and concern. The incident occurred around 11 AM when a truck carrying pulses from Mahabir Dal Mills Pvt. Ltd., based in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, reached the godown.

Bibhrato Deb, the head labour supervisor at the godown, confirmed that the anomaly was first suspected by a labourer named Makram Ali. When sacks were weighed, some were found to be as low as 26.2 kg or 27 kg instead of the standard 30 kg. Interestingly, sacks with single stitching had accurate weights, while those with double stitching had less dal, indicating a systematic manipulation technique.

Godown in-charge Achintya Pal said authority that the consignment was meant for 33 ration shops in Kadamtala block and for the ICDS scheme, totaling 25.20 metric tons of dal. “I have recorded the actual received weight in the challan. If there has been any malpractice, it is for the concerned authorities to investigate,” he added.

Preliminary reports suggest the truck was loaded from Jirania railway station on Thursday evening and arrived at Churaibari the next day. There are strong suspicions that the dal was siphoned off at Jirania itself, and insiders allege that this is part of a long-running racket. Serious allegations point to the involvement of a syndicate within the Jirania and state food department headquarters.

With pressure mounting from various quarters, demands for a high-level probe are intensifying to expose and punish those responsible for this organized loot of public food supplies.

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