Groundnut fire: Guj Cong MLA demands inquiry by HC judges

Gujarat Congress MLA Harshad Ribadia today demanded inquiry by sitting high court judges into a fire at a warehouse at Gondal in Rajkot district which destroyed a groundnut stock worth Rs 28 crore.
In a letter to Governor O P Kohli, Ribadia claimed the CID-Crime, which is investigating the case, and the BJP government were trying to shield the real culprits by not probing the roles of co-operative societies which had procured groundnuts from farmers and stored them in the warehouse.
On February 6, CID-Crime had claimed that sparks from a welding machine which was being used to fix metal gates caused the massive blaze. It arrested the owner and manager of the warehouse and four labourers engaged in the welding work.

"Instead of conducting a thorough probe, the CID as well as the state government are trying to shield real culprits by arresting some welders. Why the police did not bother to probe the roles of some co-operative societies against whom many representations have been submitted in the past?" the opposition MLA said in his letter.
According to Ribadia, who represents Visavadar constituency in Junagadh, several people had complained to the government about malpractices of co-operative societies which are authorised to purchase groundnuts from farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Ribadia alleged that some societies in Saurashtra syphoned off good-quality groundnuts procured from farmers, and sent inferior stocks or waste material to the warehouse in their place.

But the CID didn't look into this angle, he said.
"I urge you to ask the government to order an independent inquiry through a panel of sitting high court judges," the MLA wrote to the governor.