Yogi sacks Gonda, Fatehpur DMs over foodgrain hoarding

DM OF GONDA JB SINGH AND DM OF FATEHPUR KUMAR PRASHANT HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED ON CHARGES OF LAXITY AND FAILURE TO CHECK BLACKMARKETING

LUCKNOW: Taking strong exception to blackmarketing and illegal hoarding of foodgrain, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday suspended 10 officials, including the district magistrates of Gonda and Fatehpur. He also ordered registration of FIRs against the suspended officials.

DM of Gonda JB Singh and DM of Fatehpur Kumar Prashant have been suspended on charges of laxity and failure to check blackmarketing and anomaly in distribution of foodgrain and purchase of wheat. “Usually, action is ordered against junior level officials and no accountability is fixed at senior level when instances of irregularities are detected. But this situation can be easily avoided if effective monitoring is done by senior officials,” Adityanath said in a press communique. The suspension was in keeping with the state government’s zero tolerance policy against corruption and should serve as an example for others, he added.

Singh was issued a warning by the CM in a different matter related to illegal mining, in which four police officers were suspended in October last year. Besides him, district supply officer Rajiv Kumar and district food marketing officer Ajay Vikram Singh of Gonda were suspended after they were indicted in a probe report for illegal hoarding of 9,162 bags of foodgrain, against provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Act.