MARGAO: Ration card holders and fair price shop owners have heaved a sigh of relief. They have finally received their August quota of rice which is clean and not maggot-infested.
They also thanked O Heraldo for its relentless campaign in gathering evidence on the maggot-infested rice fiasco that culminated in the supply of clean rice to the fair price shops (FPS), thereby bringing a huge relief to hundreds of ration card holders from Salcete taluka.
The maggot-infested rice of FPS No. 90 has been replaced, as well as a few others. FPS No. 90 was shut down and a show cause notice was issued to the owner for distributing the infested rice. Now, hundreds of beneficiaries from Davorlim rushed to the shop to receive their rightful quota of food grains.
On Wednesday, O Heraldo, again visited the FPS No. 90, besides few others in the Salcete and found that clean rice being supplied by the Civil Supplies Department. Beneficiaries from Davorlim were overjoyed and thanked O Heraldo for highlighting the issue which led to the replacement of maggot-infested rice with clean stock.
Nearly 20 bags of maggot-infested rice from FPS No. 90, besides several others, were replaced by the department recently due to which the shop owner has started to distribute the rice.
“Recently, the department replaced nearly 20 bags of maggot-infested rice with clean ones, and hence we have started distributing the same to the beneficiaries,” said the owner of fair price shop number 90 at Davorlim.
He also said that the rice replaced was very clean.
On August 2, O Heraldo had for the second time highlighted the issue of maggot-infested rice supplied to the fair price shops with evidence, followed by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly.
Earlier, Civil Supplies Minister Ravi Naik claimed that the news report published in O Heraldo is old.
Your paper produced evidence of fresh maggot-filled rice.
Then upon the assurance of an inquiry from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a Flying Squad of the department rushed to several FPSs across Salcete and proved their minister wrong as they too found maggot-infested rice at few FPSs.
Speaking to O Heraldo, few beneficiaries, who were in queue at the shop, were satisfied over the replacement of the maggot-infested food grains with new ones.
“Yes, the quota we received after the replacement is far better than the old ones. This one is clean and we hope that the department continues supplying clean rice,” said a woman beneficiary from Davorlim.
Another ration card holder said that the stock he received in the past was just thrown into the dust bins as it was unfit for human consumption. However, the new stock, which has been replaced by the department, looks clean.
There are nearly 2,000 ration card holders, who have registered themselves with FPS No. 90, had to bear with the maggot-infested rice in the past.
Another person from the Civil Supplies Department informed O Heraldo that they have replaced all the maggot-infested rice found at various fair price shops in Salcete taluka.
