Haveri cracks down on PDS rice black market

Haveri: In Haveri, ration rice is more than grain — it is the thin line between a full pot and an empty night for thousands of poor and lower-middle-class families. Yet, along the district’s busy roads, linking Uttara Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad and Vijayanagara, an illegal trade operated in the shadows.

The network began quietly at rural ration shops. Middlemen approached beneficiaries with cash, persuading some to part with subsidised rice. Sack by sack, the grain was collected and transported in small vehicles through village roads to national highways.

Larger trucks then moved the stock to private warehouses or across district borders. Officials suspect the diverted rice was used as poultry feed, supplied to distilleries or sold in open markets.

Alarmed by the scale, the district administration and food department launched a coordinated crackdown with police and revenue officials. Border points and transport routes were closely monitored, with night inspections intensified.

Teams searched warehouses, uncovering hidden stocks behind false partitions. Raids based on tip-offs further tightened the net. In 2025-26 alone, 17 cases were registered, compared to 15 in 2023-24 and seven in 2024-25, with over 1,600 quintals of rice seized.

A total of 65 people — including drivers, traders and financiers — were arrested. Officials said the rise in cases reflects better detection rather than a sudden surge.

Deputy director DJ Manjunath urged the public to share information, assuring confidentiality, and stressed that safeguarding ration supplies is crucial to protecting the public distribution system.