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Food Corporation of India (FCI) is facing problem of delay and undue detention of foodgrains in movement of wheat and rice due to unplanned loading of rakes by the Railways, a report has said.
FCI, one of the largest foodgrain supply chain management organisations in the world, highlighted the difficulty in movement of foodgrains in its Operational Report 2010—11 released by Food and Consumer Affairs Minister, Mr K V Thomas, here last Friday.
FCI is issuing date wise as well as destination wise movement plan to the Railways every month, but the Railways is sending rakes as per its priorities and not adhering to the date wise or destination wise plan, resulting in detention as well as bunching of rakes, it said.
The Railways is placing the rakes round the clock at many centres whereas FCI has normal working hours, it said.
Similarly, the Railways is placing the rakes on Sundays or holidays and at many places departmental labourers are not working on these days resulting into demurrage charges and non releasing of rakes, the report observed. Around 90 per cent of the movement of stocks is moved by rail.
During the year 2010—11, 334.94 lakh tonnes of foodgrains was moved on inter/intra account as against 303.69 lakh tonnes moved during 2009—10.
The FCI report further pointed to non availability of infrastructural facilities like proper lighting, metallic road, drinking water and platform etc at many rail heads like Kokrajhar, Barpeta road, Jamnagar, Valsad, Vadodra, Bokaro and Daltonganj etc.
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