Senapati protests alleged 'loss of PDS items'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 19 2012:
Senapati District Consumers' Club in association with SDSA, NPO, Mao Council and other organisations today staged a sit-in-protest in denunciation of the alleged siphoning off of PDS items of August and September 2011 with respect to 47-Karong, 48-Mao, 49-Tadubi Assembly Constituencies by officials of CAF &PD Department, Senapati.
A large number of people from all walks of life gathered at Senapati market and staged the demonstration from 10.30 am.
No vehicle was allowed to pass Senapati market and all the shops remained shut during the protest.
The demonstrators used placards that read as Stop Cheating Senapati People, Punish the Corrupt Officials, Uproot Corruption, Fight Corruption, Respect Consumers Rights, Deprivation of Poor People's Share is Crime, Don't Snatch My Food, Clean the Mess, Where have the Fair Price Shops Gone, Book the Culprit etc.
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Alleging that the officials of the Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution (CAF&PD), Senapati have siphoned off the PDS items of August and September 2011, speakers of the demonstration vehemently decried such corrupt activities of the Government officials.
Further alleging that the officials concerned have already issued utilisation certificates for these two months, the speakers asserted that the items for these months never reached the hands of the beneficiaries.
They said that officials concerned withdrew the PDS items for their personal gains instead of distributing it to the common people, while these poor people have to buy these items from shops in higher rates.
Raising strong voice against these 'corrupt' officials, they also demanded that these officials be booked under the law and award exemplary punishment.
The speakers also exhorted gathering to fight such corrupted activities together so that justice may prevail.
They added, nowadays it was not hard to identify the corrupted officials as Right to Information (RTI) could prove to be of great help in this regard.
The speakers also urged the MLAs concerned to look into the matter and give strict instructions to their PDS nominees and agents so that PDS items are reached to the entitled beneficiaries.