CHANDIGARH: Arrival of a team of municipal corporation (MC) employees to distribute free ration sent hundreds of people rushing out of their homes to collect the stock in Mauli Jagran on Wednesday, tossing social distancing norms out of the window during curfew imposed to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.
Police were forced to use force to disperse people standing shoulder-to-shoulder at a time when staying-at-home is the sole weapon against Covid-19. Nilambari Jagadale, SSP, UT, said as she saw pictures of the people coming on to the road in a large number, she directed local police to look into the matter. Cops reached the spot and used mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. The SSP said the staff of food and supply department of the civic body had come to distribute ration. “They had no list of beneficiaries. So, everybody gathered there to collect the ration. Food and supply officials have been asked to come with a proper list and then hold the drive, the SSP said. Residents too accused the authorities of mismanagement.
“Officials are not distributing ration properly. They move to a different area without checking everybody has received the ration. What happens is then people who are left out reach the other areas to collect their share,” said Ramesh Maurya , a resident of Mauli Jagran village The ration bag had 5-kg wheat (per person per month) and 1-kg pulses (per family per month.
Gayabaksh Yadav, another resident, alleged that the MC officials were working under the pressure of local politicians. “These politicians are pressuring the MC staff to distribute ration in the area where they have votes and supporters,” he alleged. Some local political leaders too had spread the word that everybody would get dry ration, leading to the chaos Residents demanded the team should complete the distribution work in one area and then move to the other part.
UT adviser Manoj Parida said it was the first day of distribution of dry ration in Mauli Jagran under Pradhan Mantri Gram Kalyan Yojana. In the evening, he held a meeting with finance secretary A K Sinha, MC commissioner KK Yadav, food and supply secretary Vinod P Kavle and the SSP.
Police were forced to use force to disperse people standing shoulder-to-shoulder at a time when staying-at-home is the sole weapon against Covid-19. Nilambari Jagadale, SSP, UT, said as she saw pictures of the people coming on to the road in a large number, she directed local police to look into the matter. Cops reached the spot and used mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd. The SSP said the staff of food and supply department of the civic body had come to distribute ration. “They had no list of beneficiaries. So, everybody gathered there to collect the ration. Food and supply officials have been asked to come with a proper list and then hold the drive, the SSP said. Residents too accused the authorities of mismanagement.
“Officials are not distributing ration properly. They move to a different area without checking everybody has received the ration. What happens is then people who are left out reach the other areas to collect their share,” said Ramesh Maurya , a resident of Mauli Jagran village The ration bag had 5-kg wheat (per person per month) and 1-kg pulses (per family per month.
Gayabaksh Yadav, another resident, alleged that the MC officials were working under the pressure of local politicians. “These politicians are pressuring the MC staff to distribute ration in the area where they have votes and supporters,” he alleged. Some local political leaders too had spread the word that everybody would get dry ration, leading to the chaos Residents demanded the team should complete the distribution work in one area and then move to the other part.
UT adviser Manoj Parida said it was the first day of distribution of dry ration in Mauli Jagran under Pradhan Mantri Gram Kalyan Yojana. In the evening, he held a meeting with finance secretary A K Sinha, MC commissioner KK Yadav, food and supply secretary Vinod P Kavle and the SSP.
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