Punjab seals border with Haryana to curb illegal inflow of paddy

In a bid to check illegal flow of paddy from various states into Punjab, the state government has instructed district authorities to increase vigil at the interstate borders.

Chief Secretary Anirudh Tiwari on Thursday had held a video conference with DCs and SSPs, in which he had directed to increase the vigil at interstate borders to check smuggling of paddy from other states.

Bathinda SSP Ajay Maluja said the interstate border with Haryana had been sealed in the district and seven teams had been stationed at Doomwali, Talwandi Sabo and Rama Mandi, besides round-the-clock patrol teams maintaining vigil on link roads connecting the two states.

Apart from checkposts, flying squads have also been constituted which will keep a check on illegal movement of trucks into the state.

In the past few years, a large number of trucks have been found transporting illegal paddy into Punjab. The recovery of illegal paddy from other states last year showed farmers were being exploited by private players. Several FIRs were registered against traders and the investigation revealed that the illegal paddy was first purchased at lower prices and then transported into Punjab, where it was sold at a much higher price.