More police force to be deployed to prevent ration rice smuggling

Review meeting with officials from Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts

Asserting that smuggling of rice and kerosene meant for public distribution system would be dealt with an iron hand, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection R. Sakkarapani has informed that additional police force would be involved in preventing illegal transport of these essential commodities to other States, especially Kerala. Speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting here on Wednesday to review the performance of the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection with the officials from Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts, he said the Chief Minister had agreed to deploy more police force for preventing smuggling of ration rice and kerosene to other States. A senior police officer in the rank of Superintendent of Police, who had been stationed in Madurai, would be placed in Tirunelveli so as to effectively check the smuggling of ration rice or kerosene to Kerala from Tenkasi and Kanniyakumari districts. When he was informed about the smuggling of kerosene being given to the boats at subsidized cost and the fuel meant for PDS to Kerala by boats, he said that due measures would be put in place to check this illegal trade. He promised to look into the illegal transport of ration rice being taken to Kerala from Kanniyakumari district via 7 routes as ‘rice flour’ after grinding it in the mills in Kanniyakumari district.