Guwahati, Sept 11: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam, has urged the Golaghat District Commissioner to inquire into the disappearance/damage of 500 quintals of rice allotted for flood relief under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) in Bokakhat civil subdivision in 2020. A letter from the directorate, dated September 7, 2026, to the Golaghat District Commissioner called for an investigation into the incident, which was reported in The Assam Tribune recently.

“…Kindly find here with the email along with the attachment, received at this Directorate, which is self-explanatory, for taking necessary action from your end as deem fit. This Directorate has not conducted any enquiry/verification into this matter,” the letter said.

The Assam Tribune had reported that 500 quintals of rice meant for flood relief in Bokakhat became unfit for human consumption due to improper storage and bureaucratic bungling. A report by the Food Analyst, Government of Assam, had confirmed the rice procured from Food Corporation of India (FCI) and stored in the Water Resources Department, Bokakhat, to be completely rotten and unsuitable for consumption.

As per official records, 1,000 quintals of rice were allotted to Bokakhat civil subdivision by the then District Commissioner, Golaghat vide order no DDMA/GLT/19220219-20/128 dated July 20, 20220. 4/2020/6, dated July 22, 2020.

4/2020/14 dated September 3, 2020. As per records, the 500 quintals of unutilized rice was part of the additionally sanctioned 1,000 quintals of rice.

The value of the 500 quintals was Rs 11,25,000. It is not clear how the stored rice became unfit for consumption but prolonged storage in unhygienic conditions and the complete lack of coordination between the authorities in the civil administration and the FCI were the most likely factors behind the unwarranted situation.