Wanaparthy: District Collector Adarsh Surabhi on Thursday instructed that as soon as farmers bring paddy to the procurement centre, all details must be immediately recorded in the register. Conducting a surprise inspection at the Palem paddy procurement centre in Kothakota mandal, he expressed anger over the absence of a tent and fans for drying paddy. He instructed that a tent should be erected immediately and fans should be installed to remove husks and clean the paddy properly.

Surabhi inspected the moisture percentage of the paddy brought in and reviewed the registers being maintained. He questioned the centre in-charge on how they scientifically determine whether the paddy is of fine or coarse variety, asking for a demonstration using a caliper meter. When the in-charge failed to explain how to use the machine or specify standard values, the Collector ordered his immediate replacement.

He directed that only trained personnel should be appointed as centre in-charges. As the paddy contained excessive husk and straw, the DC instructed the in-charges to clean it using pedestal fans and paddy cleaners before procurement. He ordered that separate procurement centres be maintained for fine and coarse paddy varieties. Kothakota tahsildar Venkateshwarlu, along with farmers, accompanied the collector.