Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Mandeep Singh Brar said that on a daily basis, around 55,000 packets of cooked food are given out to all the needy. (Representational Photo/Photo by Prashant Nadkar )
FOUR HUNDRED people were lined up in a queue to take cooked food that was being distributed by the administration. The moment word spread that only simple food was being served, 200 people left the queue midway to join another place where they said even kheer was being served with food.
Finding such problems on the ground and to prevent wastage, the administration has decided to fix one menu for breakfast and evening meals, and has requested even others giving food for charity to give only simple food and work in sync with the administration. Distribution of dry ration has been stopped due to instances of hoarding and overlapping.
The UT Administration now has decided that only dal, chapati and one vegetable be given in one meal and khichdi in the other. Requests have been made to other NGOs to work in sync with administration to avoid doubling.
“Our aim is just that no one sleeps on an empty stomach. But unfortunately, we were listening to instances where those people who had sought dry ration who had already store a lot of it at their place and then above that taking cooked food as well. Just to make sure that the genuine needy gets food, we ensured that cooked food be given to all but in that too we faced problems,” said a senior officer of the administration working in the distribution of food team.
He added, “Because at multiple places, different NGOs are also giving cooked food. We are facing issues of many of them going to another place to get cooked food because the menu is different. At this time of survival, our aim is that no one sleeps hungry and due to such people, we don’t want that there is any family that sleeps with no food.”
The NGOs and other charitable organisations have been requested by the administration to work in synchronization with the administration as there are cases of food wastage. “That is the reason now we have fixed the menu of dal, chapati and vegetable in one meal and khichdi in another. We just request that NGOs also give similar fixed menu and contact our nodal officer Tejdeep Singh Saini if they want to contribute. This will not just ensure that there is no wastage but also no cases of doubling,” the officer said.
Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Mandeep Singh Brar said that on a daily basis, around 55,000 packets of cooked food are given out to all the needy.
“Our teams, including Red Cross, and all others are really working hard to ensure that no one sleeps on an empty stomach. Even the NGOs are doing a great job by helping us. Just that if anyone wants to give cooked food, he may keep the administration in the loop so that there is no wastage of food,” DC Brar said.