Pds under scanner- fears of dealers siphoning off supplies to gjmm grips govt

SNS, Siliguri, 12 September: Police have been asked to take ‘stern’ action against traders associated with the Public Distribution System (PDS) in order to check irregularities for alleged supply of foodstuff to the GJMM during the month-long agitation in the Hills. 

Following complaints from the food and supplies department, Darjeeling police have started monitoring records of foodstuff allocated for the Public Distribution System (PDS) maintained by distributors and modified ration dealers in the Hills. Police have been asked to take action after detection of irregularity in records. 

As a result, police arrested a trader Mr Nand Kishore Agarwal from Sukhia near Ghoom in Darjeeling today on charges of supplying grain meant for PDS illegally to the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha during the continuous agitation, a top police official said. Notably, the food and supplies department has issued notices to all eleven distributors and more than 500 modified ration dealers in the Hills and asked them to explain why they did not open ration shops during the agitation. 

Since 29 July, all ration shops were closed in the Hills when the GJMM called an indefinite strike demanding separate statehood. 

Official sources said the minister in charge for food and supplies department Mr Jyoti Priya Mallick has asked the concerned officials to identify at least 39 more spots for setting up PDS outlets in the Hills. 

The objective of the decision is to supply foodstuff to the people during the shutdown agitation in the Hills in future. 

The state had set up 11 outlets during the agitation to keep continuing PDS in the Hills. 

The state plans to set up at least 50 outlets in different points in the three Hill sub-divisions. 

A senior official associated with the food and supplies department said the dealers have started replying to the show cause notices. Most of them have alleged they could not open ration shops fearing attacks from the GJMM supporters during the agitation. 

“We have stared verifying written statements of the dealers and necessary action would be taken at an appropriate time,” he said. 

The district controller of food and supplies, Mr Baidyanath Sarkar, said the department allocated required materials to the existing ration dealers for distribution from 9 September. 

The department is preparing to allocate materials for PDS, which will be distributed from Monday to Wednesday in the Hills. 

A total of 7,500 quintal grain is required for the Hills per months, Mr Sarkar said.