CHENNAI: Nearly 300 families living on the Cooum river bank opposite to the Island Ground in Chennai are unable to avail their ration items. They say authorities stopped distribution of ration items from the fair price shop in the vicinity to make them move to Perumbakkam, where they have been allotted tenements.
The unorganised workers’ federation has petitioned the Union ministry of human resources and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to help them avail the ration items and the Covid-19 relief fund of Rs 1,000 each.
When the authorities of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board resorted to shift families to Perumbakkam, which is about 27km from their present living place, several families pleaded with them to allow them to stay there until the end of the academic year to enable their children to continue their studies without disturbance. Residents of Gandhi Nagar, Satyamoorthy Nagar and Indira Nagar protested and pleaded.
Since the officials did not heed to their pleas, they approached VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan. He, in turn, contacted the CM and bought time till May, said Sekar, vice-president of Gandhi Nagar Residents Association.
The government had planned to implement the intra-state portability of ration cards under the Centre’s “one nation, one ration card” programme from April 1.
“The officials told us that we can procure ration items starting April 1. But we are suffering due to the lockdown. We are not able to buy the ration items from March. Without a job, it becomes more difficult as day passes,” S Subramani, father of two children aged four and two years. The 33-year-old electrician along with several other families neither get the ration items nor the government’s Rs 1,000 relief amount.
Subramani’s neighbours have also echoed the same and urged the government to look into their plight as they were finding it difficult to feed their children and elders, who are vulnerable to coronavirus. “A few of us went to Perumbakkam to buy ration, but the salesmen there told us that our cards are not transferred to their shop and turned us down,” M Meenakshi.
Commissioner of civil supplies and consumer protection Sajjansingh R Chavan, when contacted, said, “Everyone is entitled for the ration items. We will look into the issue and take appropriate measures to address the issue.”
The unorganised workers’ federation has petitioned the Union ministry of human resources and chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to help them avail the ration items and the Covid-19 relief fund of Rs 1,000 each.
When the authorities of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board resorted to shift families to Perumbakkam, which is about 27km from their present living place, several families pleaded with them to allow them to stay there until the end of the academic year to enable their children to continue their studies without disturbance. Residents of Gandhi Nagar, Satyamoorthy Nagar and Indira Nagar protested and pleaded.
Since the officials did not heed to their pleas, they approached VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan. He, in turn, contacted the CM and bought time till May, said Sekar, vice-president of Gandhi Nagar Residents Association.
The government had planned to implement the intra-state portability of ration cards under the Centre’s “one nation, one ration card” programme from April 1.
“The officials told us that we can procure ration items starting April 1. But we are suffering due to the lockdown. We are not able to buy the ration items from March. Without a job, it becomes more difficult as day passes,” S Subramani, father of two children aged four and two years. The 33-year-old electrician along with several other families neither get the ration items nor the government’s Rs 1,000 relief amount.
Subramani’s neighbours have also echoed the same and urged the government to look into their plight as they were finding it difficult to feed their children and elders, who are vulnerable to coronavirus. “A few of us went to Perumbakkam to buy ration, but the salesmen there told us that our cards are not transferred to their shop and turned us down,” M Meenakshi.
Commissioner of civil supplies and consumer protection Sajjansingh R Chavan, when contacted, said, “Everyone is entitled for the ration items. We will look into the issue and take appropriate measures to address the issue.”
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