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Overpriced cane harvesters: Cash deals, invoice variations, e-way bills indicate financial bunglings
The purchase of cane harvesters piloted by Haryana agriculture department officials was done by sidestepping competitive bidding process, altering the original proposal and bringing in the subsidy component, official record show
: Cash transactions shown in records by the three farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and custom hiring centres (CHCs) in Haryana for the purchase of sugarcane harvesters have raised suspicion of financial irregularities. Glaring variations have also been found in the invoices and e-way bills issued by manufacturers to the dealers, and dealers to the CHCs/ FPOs.
The purchase of cane harvesters piloted by Haryana agriculture department officials was done by sidestepping competitive bidding process, altering the original proposal and bringing in the subsidy component, official record show. The machines were found to be purchased at an inflated price during a scrutiny done by a departmental committee constituted to assess the correct market price of the machines.
“A huge variation in price billing by manufacturing firm ( ₹82 lakhs including GST) and dealer billing price ( ₹95 lakh including GST) leave no doubt about the overpricing of the machine,” the committee’s report said.
‘Cash transactions are merely an eyewash’
The committee comprising four officers during a scrutiny found that while making payment of ₹ 38 lakh to the dealer Aryan Kisan Sewa Samiti of village Sandhola, Pehowa in Kurukshetra had deposited only ₹ 24 lakhs through bank, while seven lakhs were shown to have been paid in cash.
Similarly, Kisan Krishi Hiring Co-operative group, Lakhanmajra in Rohtak deposited ₹ 25 lakh through banks in the bank accounts of dealers while ₹ three lakhs were paid in cash. Both Aryan Kisan Sewa Samiti and Kisan Krishi Hiring group also deposited post dated cheques of ₹ seven lakhs and ₹ 10 lakhs respectively which were not cleared at the time of scrutiny by the departmental committee.
“The cash and post-dated cheques given to the dealers are just an eyewash. It shows that Aryan Kisan Sewa Samiti had purchased the cane harvester in ₹ 81 lakhs ( ₹ 24 lakhs + ₹ 57 lakhs) and Kisan Krishi hiring co-operative group had purchased a harvester in ₹ 82 lakhs ( ₹ 25 lakhs + ₹ 57 lakhs) including GST,’’ said the departmental committee report.
The committee noted discrepancies in the financial transactions done by the Ahluwalia co-operative of village Talakpur in Ambala for purchase of machine. As per the report, Ahluwalia co-operative had deposited ₹ 13,20,815 through bank and ₹ 24,79,115 by cash as per the dealer’s record. However, as per the statement of Ahluwalia co-operative, a sum of ₹ 12.50 lakh was deposited through bank and ₹ 24.50 lakh as cash.
“There is a difference in the statement of the dealer and the CHC. Secondly, the payment of such a huge amount cannot be given in cash by the CHC,’’ the committee said.
‘Discrepancies in invoices and e-way bills’
The committee found variations in the invoices and e-way bills issued by the manufacturers to the dealers and dealers to the CHC/FPOs.
“M/s Shaktiman Agro Agency, Indri, Karnal issued invoice and e-way bill to Aryan Kisan Sewa Samiti on February 7, 2022 whereas the manufacturer issued invoice and e-way bill 4-5 days later to Shaktiman Agro agency on February 11 and 12, 2022. Similarly, Shaktiman Agro Agency issued invoice and e-way bill to Kisan Co-operative hiring group on February 24 and 25, 2022 respectively, whereas manufacturer issued invoice and e-way bill four days later to Shaktiman Agro Agency on February 28, 2022,’’ the committee found.
Likewise, Haryana Agro Agencies, Yamunanagar issued invoice and e-way bill to Ahluwalia Co-operative of village Talakpur in Ambala on February 7, 2022 whereas the manufacturer issued invoice and e-way bill 4-5 days later to Haryana Agro Agencies on February 11 and 12, 2022 respectively.
An official familiar with the scrutiny said that the invoices and e-way bills show that the dealers handed over the cane harvesters to CHCs/FPOs without having them in their stock.
