Imphal, January 21: Notwithstanding the announcement of the secretary of Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BSEM) for making all the text books published by the Board for class I to V in the market within this month, book sellers have complaint of not providing them with the books for selling and favoritism in distribution of books.

Book sellers having intent cards who came to collect text books from the Board have been allegedly denied their share as there was no more stock left for them.

This has resulted in exchange of heated arguments between the angry book sellers and the Board officials.

Talking to The Sangai Express, Board secretary RK Radhesana Devi, however, clarified that the unfortunate incident had occurred due to some misunderstanding and put the blamed on the presses printing the text books for not bringing out the printed text books in time to the Board.

Stating that irregular power supply is also playing spoil sports in bringing out the text books in time by the press, Radhesana further appealed to the book sellers to wait for few more days.

But the book sellers have an altogether different complaint.

They alleged that the Board is indulging in favoritism distribution of text books and some of the firms being provided all the books for selling.

Refuting the allegation, Board officials who are in charge of issuing the text books informed that an order had been issued on Jan 14 for getting the indent cards made by the book sellers within January 16 for buying/ordering some of the books of class I and III already printed and published.

These books are Mathematics of class I and Manipuri, Hindi and Mathematics of class III.

The order had specifically mentioned that they could buy 40-200 books.

In response to the order around 90 books sellers have turned up and they have issued indent card for buying 200 books each.

But as there was no much stock, the book sellers were provided only half the quantity of what they had ordered.

Subsequently, after some more text books have been printed, the Board had issued another order on January 16 allowing issuing of 40 books each book sellers.

The names of the text books included in the second order are Let's Learn English, Work Book for class I, Manipuri Londam Lairik for class I, Let's Learn English Course Book for class III and Environmental Studies (Manipuri medium) for class III.

But when around 170 book sellers, who have the indent cards came to collect the books, the stock was found inadequate.

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