Govt works on restoring PDS in Hills....GJMM distributes food items

SNS, Darjeeling. 30 August 2013: The state government will continue distributing food grains in Darjeeling and open more special food grain distribution centres. A senior official of the food and supplies department said a series of meetings were held in Darjeeling to restore the normalcy of the public distribution system (PDS) and the minister for the department, Mr Jyotipriya Mallick, spoke to officers about the need to take proper action for opening modified ration (MR) shops in Darjeeling. 

 A section of the local PDS distributors gave their consent for co-operating with the officers for restoring normalcy in the PDS system, the official said. However, local PDS dealers associations did not attend the meeting despite Mr Mallick asking for their co-operation and calling them to join a meeting regarding the restoration of the normalcy of the PDS in Darjeeling. The government has already issued warnings to MR distributors and dealers to not close their shops. 

“Officers are regularly inspecting the MR shops and godowns. A flourmill and two godowns were sealed, as the owners did not open these for a long time,” the official said. Earlier, the department had opened special foodgrain distribution centres at 11 points in the Hills during the bandh. 

Around 850 persons lifted the foodgrains from three centres but no beneficiary turned up in the rest of eight centres, Mr Mallick said, adding that around 4,000 people have already drawn ration from the regular ration shops. 

Meanwhile, GJM distributed 40 quintals of rice and 25 quintal of lentils (dal) free of cost in Darjeeling Gymkhana Club on Friday. Thousands had lined to receive the ration. Each received 7 kg of rice and 300 gms of dal.