Imphal, December 12: Amid the raging controversy over the alleged failure of the State Government to stock adequate rice at the FCI godown, Sangaiprou, despite the harvest season being over in Manipur, another controversy has cropped up over alleged biases in issuing the allotted State quota of rice from the FCI godown at Dimapur.

Out of the actual sanctioned quota of 8774 metric tonne of rice for the month of December, the General Manager (Manipur and Nagaland) the FCI regional office RP Singh has been charged with releasing only 3440 metric tonne.

Apart from not allotting equal rice quota to Nagaland and Manipur as it should be, the transport contractors of Dimapur and Manipur have decried the biasness of the FCI official and lodged a written complaint to the Chief Secretary of Manipur urging the latter to take appropriate action in this regard.

The written complaint submitted to the Chief Secretary on December 8 pointed out that five rakes of railway wagon which is equal to approximately about 12,000 metric tonne of rice for the State of Nagaland and Manipur were released from FCI godown, Dimapur.

Though the rice quota had to be distributed equally between Manipur and Nagaland, General Manager of the regional office RP Singh issued only 2,000 metric tonne to Manipur while the remaining rice have been issued in favour of Nagaland in collusion with some businessmen at Dimapur, the transport contractors alleged.

Similarly out of the allotted total rice quota of 2800 metric tonne on December 2, the General Manager had issued only 347.575 metric tonnes to Manipur.

Moreover, out of the 2400 metric tonne sanctioned on December 7 for the two neighbouring States, the share of Manipur is yet to be released and the same is being held up at FCI godown at Dimapur without any reason, the complaint said.

The transport contractors lamented that such biased attitude of the General Manager has caused difficulties in lifting the rice quota of the State which do not have the facilities for Railways and the National Highways are frequently under the imposition of economic blockades and bandhs.

The total quantity of PDA rice to be lifted for the month of December is said to be 8774 metric tonne but so far not more than 3440 metric tonnes have been lifted as the General Manager has not given the permission to lift the remaining quota.

The rice quota to be lifted include shares for mid-day meal and other schemes as well.

The aggrieved transporters contractors have also drawn the attention of the authorities concerned to ensure that all the rice quota of the State would be lifted and deposited at the FCI godown at Sangaiprou before being caught in another spell of bandh and blockade.

Comment