Suppliers, officers run food racket in Assam Rifles?

Guwahati: After controversies erupted regarding provisions given to BSF and CRPF jawans, a cartel of food contractors supplying poor quality food to the Assam Rifles has come to light.

Referring to a video posted by the wife of an Assam Rifles jawan pointing out the poor quality of food served to soldiers, sources in the paramilitary force at Shillong told this newspaper that the video was simply the tips of the iceberg. “The entire food supply to the Assam Rifles is in the hands of a few unscrupulous businessmen who not only decide the terms and condition of tender, but also approve the names of suppliers,” sources said, adding that the poor quality of food supply in the Assam Rifles has been a major issue for the past several years. However, dissenting voices were suppressed effectively in the name of discipline.

Admitting that the Union home ministry was providing sufficient funds for the forces, sources in the Assam Rifles said that a cartel of food suppliers were involved in a nexus with senior officers and were siphoning off large sums of money.

Pointing out that the Assam Rifles calls tender for food supply for a year, sources said that a powerful cartel of suppliers decide among themselves on who will supply what, and accordingly the members of the cartel submit tenders.