25
No.
S&S/21/(4)/RL/2K/
Dated : 11th September, 2000
Circular
No. 3
Procedure
for regularization of transit / storage shortages
Ref
: 1.
S&S/RL/34/2(1)/38 dated 17.06.1991.
2.
S&S/21/(4)/RL/98 dated 06.11.1998.
1.
In order to accelerate the speed of investigations, fixing up
responsibility, accountability and regularization of Transit and storage
shortages, powers have been delegated to various Authorities vide above
reference dated 17-06-1991. The Food Corporation of
a.
Non-availability
of records,
b.
Deliberate
or otherwise non-coordination between Storage/ Procurement,
c.
Division
and the Vigilance Division,
d.
Delay
in Investigations of the shortages,
e.
Delay
in fixing up of responsibility and absence of proof for initiation of
disciplinary action in cases prima facie found responsible for shortages due to
delay etc.
In
all such cases, it is noticed that various Sr. Regional Managers have not been
exercising their mind to plug the loopholes and speed up the process.
2.
The shortages reported if found beyond reasonableness, the concerned
authorities are required immediately to investigate the causes of Loss and take
a conscientitious and judicious decision for initiating disciplinary action
against the delinquent officials found prima facie responsible for such loss.
The losses are to be written off as per procedure reiterated in circular dated
06.11.1998 referred to above keeping in view the following points :-
2.1.
Wherever
abnormal storage losses are noticed the concerned District Manager will
immediately investigate the same and if prima facie case is prepared with
justification / documents at District Office, he should forward it to Sr.
Regional Manager. The Sr. Regional Manager/ Regional Manager, in turn, will take
immediate administrative decisions and suomotto action as per Staff Regulations
without recourse to disciplinary proceedings as far as possible and impose
appropriate penalty to make good of the entire loss suffered by Food Corporation
of
2.2.
While
considering the case for write off sanction, after issue of charge sheet before
or after imposing penalty of recoveries of the losses the disciplinary
Authorities should elicit from personal records, history sheet about the
property holding with realizable value of various assets in the possession of
the employee so that the standard of proof required in law can be obtained
resorting to civil criminal proceedings against the delinquent officials to
recover the losses over and above specified by the disciplinary authorities
while awarding the penalty.
3.
The district Managers should visit all the depots at lest once in a month
and ensure that the stock Balances are determined on day to day basis as per the
depot records excluding grain shortages. The total of stack-wise balances as
appearing the depot records should conform to the actual ground balances
excluding storage losses found on killing of the stack from time to time. At the
same time the grain shortages which have not been written off should be
distinctly shown in the depot record without clubbing with book or physical
balances. This will apply in the case of shortages noticed as a result of
physical verification on 100% weightment also. This will help the District
Manager to monitor the write off of cases and control over the mechanism /
Procedures.
4.
Similarly in case of Transit losses reported by the receiving centres or
on receipt of destination complaint the District Manager/Sr. Regional Manager of
both ends will immediately conduct in depth inquiries into the genuineness of
the complaint and find out the actual shortages with reference to Rr/Dispatch
weight, transfer out invoices and other related documents such as gate passes,
wagon unloading/ loading register, weight check memos etc. and take cognizance
of the shortages so reported and fix accountability on the defaulters, if found
responsible, inform the consignee Sr.
Regional Manager/ District Manager indicating the action taken
by him at his end. The consignee officers thereafter shall write off the same
within the time schedule as per delegation of powers.
5.
In any case it should be clearly appreciated that Railways cannot be
insisted to issue a shortage certificate of full bags of partial shortages or
copy of the entries made in the delivery book at the destination, if the wagon
seals are found in tact on arrival there; for said to contain RRs, as per
movement Division's circular No.MC-II/6(1)/83-VOL. III dated 28.8/5.9.1991, copy
enclosed.
6.
The monthly returns of regularization forwarded to the Headquarters in
the prescribed format I, II and III should distinctly indicate year wise
occurrence of transit and storage losses both quantity and value, its
regularisation and pendency alongwith power wise breakup with grand total. The
total of format II and III should tally with the break up with total occurrence
less regularisation i.e. pendency shown in format I. The Sr. Regional Manager/
Regional Manager should ensure review and progress of regularisation every month
so that the old cases should not kept unattended for want of investigation/
inquiries pending in the vigilance branch of Regional office and such cases be
perused immediately and suomoto action be taken to dispose of the cases and
progress be reported
to Headquarters. All pending cases falling within the delegated powers of
Managing Director may be chalked out commodity wise, district depot wise, month/
year wise in the prescribed proforma duly supported with District/ Regional
Regularisation Committee reports alongwith name of the persons involved, action
taken against each, if not reason for delay with full justification of the
losses to the Zonal Office for their examination and onward submission to
Headquarters so that such cases are settled within a time frame for which Sr.
Regional Manager/ Regional Manager has to draw an action plan for speedy
finalization.
7.
Similarly, while regularizing the losses incurred in the intra State
movement of FCI foodgrain from one CWC godown to another CWC godown or SWC to
SWC and CWC to SWC and vice versa the procedure followed in FCI will apply as
far as investigation and fixation of responsibility for abnormal losses and
realization of the cost of loss, before such losses are regularized.
8.
The above procedure shall strictly be adhered to while regularising the
shortages. All the cases falling under the delegation of powers of Managing
Director be processed as per the procedure stated above to ensure that cases
send to Headquarters will be complete in all respects including vigilance/
recovery action for speedy regularization at Headquarters level.
9.
Zonal Managers/Sr. Regional Managers are also hereby advised to review
the procedures adopted by them for such regularization in view of the decision
of Chairman that for any storage/transit losses beyond 0.5%, responsibility and
recovery shall be ensured. They should not be under the mistaken impression that
no such action need be initiated for losses that fall under their delegated
powers for regularization / write off.
10.
This issues with the approval to Executive Director (Losses).
(S.K.
BHATTACHARYA)
MANAGER (I&E / STOCKS)
Encl
: a.a
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