MLA advised to return rice lifted from warehouse
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 01 2024:
Citing current enforcement of Election Model Code of Conduct in the state, CAF&PD director Robertson Ashem has urged MLA of Kshetrigao AC to return the rice the latter forcefully lifted from the FCI warehouse at Sawombung, to the Department.
The director also assured that the department will ensure distribution of the rice to the beneficiaries through the District Supply Officer.
Addressing the media at the auditorium of DIPR here on Monday, director Robertson recounted that beneficiaries in Kshetrigao AC had complained of not receiving the rice quota for September and October last year.
As such, CAF&PD, Imphal East DSO issued an order in November last year to conduct a field visit and authenticate veracity of the complaints.
Accordingly, the civil supply inspector conducted a field visit on December 1 and submitted a report to the DSO on December 4 .
As per the reports, beneficiaries in several areas of Kshetrigao AC did not received their rice quota for September and October, and that their ration cards were in the possession of agents of Fair Price Shops (FPS).
The same report was submitted to the director himself on December 5 .
Robertson continued that DSO Imphal East then hied a complaint to the Imphal East SP on December 14 seeking action against the FPS agents involved.
Additionally, instructions were issued by the department to the FPS agents to distribute the NFSA rice to the beneficiaries along with conveying that the rice would be provided in between November 2023 to January this year.
On March 20 this year, an inquiry report of the police complaint stated that beneficiaries had received the rice quota for September and October last year though the same for the pending months could not be lifted for some time due to the prevailing unrest situation in the state.
However, the lifting process was initiated after reaching an agreement arrived at in Marchlast week, he conveyed.
Robertson said that for constituencies in Imphal East, the rice is lifted from the Sawombung facility.
The last day for drawing the rice was on March 30, which also happened to be the scheduled day for Kshetrigao AC.
As such, the department officials and the transport contractor were in the midst of applying the rice when Kshetrigao AC MLA Noorul Hassan and his supporters barged into the warehouse and forcefully took away the rice consignment.
Stating that the NFSA rice is to be distributed to the beneficiaries by the department through FPS agents, the director said that no MLA had intervened in the process previously.
Since the Model Code of Conduct is in force, he urged the MLA to return the rice at the earliest, assuring that the department will ensure distribution of the same to the beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, before the Code of Conduct was enforced, the department had notified an order calling for new potential FPS agents to submit their forms from March 7 to 12 as term of the previous FPS agents had expired on March 31 this year.
However, the Kshetrigao MLA and his supporters again created issue by visiting the DSO Imphal East on March 19 and threatening the staff, before taking away the FPS agents' forms.
The matter was informed to the DC concerned in time.
Although the term pf the FPS agents have expired, the department will distribute the rice to the beneficiaries without fail, Robertson assured.
He further responded to questions on whether the NFSA rice were being distributed to relief camps, stating that the rice distributed to relief camps are under Open Market Sales (OMS) rice.
If any individual or organisation wants to lift rice to give to relief camps, they can procure the OMS rice from CAF&PD at Rs 34 per kg, he informed.