Bengal food minister Jyotipriyo Mallick has asked officials to take steps against three mills in Jalpaiguri district for allegedly not delivering rice to the state government on time.

Mallick, who held a review meeting at the district collectorate here on Saturday, said the government had provided paddy to the three mills for extraction of rice. “After buying paddy from farmers, we sent the same to rice mills which in turn provide rice to us. We had provided around 3,500 metric tons of paddy to three mills in the 2017-2018 fiscal. But so far, they have not provided the rice to us. The licence of one of the mills — that is in Maynaguri block — will be cancelled immediately and it would be closed. Steps would be taken against two other mills,” said Mallick.

The other two mills are in Dashdarga, 10km from here.

The minister also said the government had decided not to keep managers of tea estates as ration dealers any longer.

“We have decided to change the practice because in case there is suspension of work in a garden, labourers and their families would not get food grains. We are engaging self-help groups for distribution of rations in tea gardens,” he said.