ROQUE DIAS | NT
MARGAO
Director of Civil Supplies Mayesh Korjuvekar, on Thursday, informed that a fresh circular will be issued on Friday to all the civil supplies inspectors to pay a visit to the fair price shops in the state in view of the complaints about ill-maintained stocks of foodgrains, which are supplied to the ration card holders.
Korjuvekar said, “A fresh circular will be issued to the civil supplies inspectors on Friday to check whether the fair price shop owners are maintaining and supplying the ration quota responsibly to the card holders.”
The decision to issue the circular has come following complaints that several fair price shop owners have failed to keep the foodgrains, being given to the ration card holders, in hygienic condition.
On Thursday, sacks of rice and wheat, that were supplied by the directorate of the civil supplies to a fair price shop in Raia, were found kept in an untidy place. Similar situation was also found at the couple of other fair price shops in Salcete.
The fair price shop owner of Raia, however, said that he will get the place cleaned soon, and added that the cleaning has been delayed because a worker has gone home for the Ganesh festival.
Civil supplies inspector of Salcete Ram Krishna Salgaonkar informed that his office provides quality stock to the 58,759 ration card holders in time.
“We never supply sub-standard stock. The fair price shop owners should maintain the stock responsibly as it needs to be supplied to the ration card holders. The place should be kept clean. I will carry out an inspection and will report to the director,” he added.
Korjuvekar informed that there 58, 759 ration card holders, who get on an average 800 tonne of rice and 200 tonne of wheat.
Sources informed that similar cases were brought to the notice of the director from the other blocks, and as such, the director was compelled to take the decision.
Meanwhile, mamlatdar of Salcete Vishal Kundaikar informed that even though the office of the civil supplies is housed in the mamlatdar’s office, it is operating independently with a civil supplies inspector deputed by the director of civil supplies.
“The long queues and the ration card holders’ grumblings here have put the mamlatdar’s office in a bad light. Our office had informed the District Collector, and he has allotted the civil supply officials a separate temporary office on the ground floor of the new collectorate building,” Kundaikar added. Sources, however, informed that the civil supplies officials of Margao have been provided with an office at the old collectorate building, but they are yet to shift. The shifting, however, is not likely to happen in view of the BRICS summit as the security personnel, who are on deputed for maintaining law and order, are put up in the old collectorate building.