Over 1000 MT of rice wasted, dumped as garbage
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 05 2013: Over 1000 metric tonnes of rice, which have been procured by Department of Consumer Affairs Food ad Public Distribution, Government of Manipur from Food Corporation of India for distribution among the poor and needy people of the State, have turned stale from prolonged storage before the same could be distributed to the public.

As the huge quantity of rice that could have very well served 1000 people of the State for one complete year has become unfit for consumption, the authority has started digging up ground to dump the stale rice.

The rice in question was procured by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and is being kept in the godown of Food Corporation of India (FCI) at Luwangshangbam for a long period of time without being distributed to the poor and the needy, for whom it was meant for.

Not just the wasted rice from the Luwangshangbam FCI godown, but also the other wasted rice from the Sangaiprou FCI godown have been lifted for dumping under the ground.

A man collecting rice to feed his family even as truckloads of rice rotten from prolong storage in FCI godown await to be disposed off at Sangaiprou

On receiving the news that a huge quantity of rice meant for distribution among the poor people of the State, are all set to be dumped away as garbage as they have gone stale, Hueiyen Lanpao went to the FCI godown at Luwangshangbam.

When Hueiyen Lanpao reached the godown, the gatekeeper told that the process of lifting the stale rice for dumping has already been completed.

A huge pond like trench was found being dug up where the stale rice is to be collected and covered up.

The gatekeeper also informed that the process of covering up the pond has been completed too.

The gatekeeper estimated that the quantity of the stale rice lifted from the godown would come to over 40-50 truck loads.

Since the rice could not be taken out through the door, the walls of the godown were pulled down by using excavators for removing the rice and taken in truck to the site for dumping.

After coming out from the Luwangshangbam godown, Hueiyen Lanpaon again went to inspect the office of Department of Consumers Affairs, Food and Public Distribution at Sangaiprou.

There it was seen that a huge quantity of stale rice were being extracted from a room of the godown using an excavator and loaded them into various tipper trucks.

All the labourers engaged in the work were seen using masks as the smell emanating from the stale rice was beyond bearable limit of anyone nearby.

The loaded tipper trucks were also seen dumping the contents on an empty field located to the east of the godown.

The dumped stale rice was then dragged into a dug up area resembling a huge pond.

The process of disposing and destroying the stall rice was still going on in full steam when Hueiyen Lanpao returns from there.

The most embarrassing as well as the touching part observed by Hueiyen Lanpao in the whole process was the act of a poor man who was trying to gather stale rice in a huge container for the use of her family.

The man, who was not willing to disclose his identify, said that the stale rice thus collected would serve his family for an entire month.

An expert in foods told Hueiyen Lanpao that though there is no instrument to measure the level of staleness of food, yet it is certain from the mount of piling stale rice that it must have been stored for the last many years.

It is really disheartening to see that the authority concerned is remaining silent when such huge quantity of rice goes wasted just like that.

It is high time for a thorough investigation into the matter.

It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court had passed an order directing for distribution of lakhs of metric tonnes of rice which are nearing final stage to be considered fit for consumption to the poor and needy people free of cost.