Wheat procurement by Punjab government agencies and private millers topped 3.65 lakh tonnes till Monday evening, according to the food & civil supplies department figures.

While government agencies mopped up 3.61 lakh tones of wheat, private traders procured 4,070 tonnes.

In order to make the largest ever procurement operation trouble-free, the state government has deputed eight secretary-level officers to monitor the process at more than 1,750 procurement centres.

While some farmers complained that they didn't get their payments on time, the food and civil supplies department claimed that payments were being made on time. When contacted, an official from the department claimed, "We have directions to release money within 48 hours and it is happening."

The official added that 24-hour control rooms had been established in the department's headquarters at Chandigarh as well as in district offices, where farmers could contact in any case of emergency.

Special teams from the department have raiding across the state to detect any irregularities.

Separately in Uttar Pradesh, 8-10 lakh tonnes of wheat are arriving in the state's procurement centers. Uttar Pradesh is the biggest wheat producer in the country, followed by Punjab and Haryana.