MARGAO: Hundreds of ration cardholders in Salcete taluka were in for a rude shock after they found that the rice distributed to them by the fair price shops was infested with maggots, mites and fungus.
Furious over the substandard quality of rice distributed to them, cardholders demanded that the authorities concerned immediately replace the substandard rice with fresh stock at the earliest to ensure that there are no health issues.
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Speaking to O Heraldo, cardholders complained that the rice distributed is not fit for consumption. Similarly, owners of the fair price shops in the South District too admitted that poor-quality rice has been supplied to them in April and May.
Assuring to conduct an inspection immediately, Gopal Parsekar, Director of Civil Supplies said, “I will instruct the inspectors to personally visit the fair price shops and check the rice supplied to them.”
Following complaints, O Heraldo visited some fair price shops on Tuesday and found that the rice containing maggots, fungus, and mites had been distributed to the cardholders.
However, many cardholders refused to accept the substandard rice and demanded that they be provided with fresh stock.
In Margao, Fatorda, and several other areas, a huge stock of rice had turned black with maggots.
“I immediately questioned the fair price shop owner at Margao, where maggots were found in rice which was distributed to the cardholders. With no reply from the fair price shop owner, I alerted the others,” said Jabeer Sidnur, a BPL cardholder from Margao.
He said that all the stock lying at the ration shop is unfit for consumption.
After standing in a queue, another cardholder expressing anger demanded that the government show some mercy towards the poor, who are totally dependent on the rice distributed at the ration shops.
“Supplying substandard rice at the ration shops and later distributing the same to cardholders and that too knowingly is unacceptable,” he stated.
Expressing helplessness, a fair price shop owner at Margao admitted that in April and now in May they received poor quality stock.
“What to do when the authorities continue to supply substandard rice? Yes, we also understand the sentiments of the cardholders. I brought this issue before the officials concerned but received no positive response,” the fair price shop owner said.
He informed that nearly 26 tonnes of rice received four days ago are of substandard quality.
Another ration shop owner, who opened the bags of rice in front of the O Heraldo reporter, found that the rice kept in the godown had turned black.
Fair price shop owners said that the stock supplied to them in April and May is probably the old which was lying idle in the godowns for a very long time.
It may be recalled that earlier there was a controversy with regard to tur dal supplied by the Civil Supplies Department, followed by stock going missing from the godowns.
