Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite
Lamka, Jul 23:
Public Distribution System in Churachandpur is expected to receive a renewed thrust as fear of impending famine compelled Zomi Ecnomic Planning and Development Agency (ZEPADA) to air grievances of its citizens to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
'The State Government on the plea of the prevailing law and order situation under which anti-social elements disrupted the State Food and Civil Supply Godown in Imphal, has not taken the initiative to bring the PDS items to the district', alleged a representation of the agency submitted to the Prime Minister on Thursday.
It also claimed that PDS items have been siphoned off into the hands of black marketers by the authority concerned in connivance with the people in power without delivering them to the targeted people at Government subsidized rates.
Otherwise, 'the same items, sold at exorbitant rates, compared to subsidized K/Oil supposed to be made available at Rs.9.50 per litre, is sold at Rs 30 per litre in the black market', it added.
ZEPADA also termed the state government's apathy in addressing looming threat of famine in the district as 'pathetic and deplorable' even as it urged intervention of the Prime Minister to tide over the natural and manmade calamities.
In fact, DC/CCpur Arun Kumar Sinha in a letter addressed to the Secretary (FCS) Govt.of Manipur last Sunday has claimed that PDS items are not reaching the targeted beneficiaries and that Churachandpur district is under famine kind of situation due to bamboo flowering.
Some of the demands put forward by the agency include, uninterrupted supply of PDS items by directly lifting from Dimapur or Mizoram, construction of FCI godown and additional allocation of 3000 MT of rice as was given to Mizoram.
Besides the Prime Minister, representatives of ZEPADA met the opposition leader LK Advani, Doner Minister PR Kyndiah, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Outer Manipur MP Mani Charenamei and Dr HT Sangiana MP and highlighted in detail the alarming plight of the district.