Dear Editor,
The Basohli town, as the ill luck would have it, has been reeling under the problems being created by the PDS Basohli since decades. The consumers do not get monthly ration in one go, the ration is sold in black or sold stealthely to the influential politicians and leaders.
Thousands of consumers of Basohli town, along with that from the adjoining villages, have been getting their ration from the only one PDS shop Basohli. Being the only shop the consumers throng the shop in thousand daily. The ration shop always remain crowded heavily with the result many feeble women infirm and children have to go empty handed to their homes. Many times old people have been seen collapsing in the hot summer while standing in the queue. The consumers never get their ration in one go rather they are compelled to collect their ration in installments. The carriers full of PDS ration are sold stealthily in the open market leaving the needy deprived of the ration even after wasting their whole day standing in the queue. The administration act as mute spectator of the hardships being faced by the poor consumer.. But six years on the wall of the ration depot Basohli collapsed due to the heavy rains, the PDS consumers have been facing huge problem in collecting their monthly ration because after every week or a fort night the venue of the ration distribution is changed without the prior in formation, to the great frustration of the consumers. For a maximum time a shop at the road side was hired which was prone to danger of being run over or fear of flying boulders and it is reality many people have sustained injuries while standing in the queue extending to other side of the road in the past .The consumers are treated like beggars whenever they demand full ration in one go. On the other side the truckloads of ration are sold in the way from lakhanpur to Basohli. The consumers as well as the local leaders brought the problem in the knowledge of the local administration , department and even in the notice of the ministry but nothing solid seems have been done on the ground. Neither the damaged sale/ office of Basohli PDS has been constructed since it was damaged 12 years back nor the department has ever cared for the repair of the wall which is the rout cause of trouble for the consumers. The poor consumers are given short measure and the rice are sold in the bushels instead of proper measure. There are app. One thousand such consumers whose ration cards are withheld and are not provided ration without any reasons for the last two years whereas the spare ration is sold out to the blue eyed of the MLAs, Officers. The Kerocene oil, the kitchen fuel of the poor man, is openly sold to the transporters for use in their vehicle, under the nose of Local administration and police with impunity. Only other day people spotted dozens of sugger bags being transported in the car of the blue eyed of a minister where TSO himself was sitting. The matter pertains to the C APED and they should take cognizance of such crimes so that proper supply of the ration items can be ensured to the consumers. It is matter of deep anguish that no minister of any department in general and that of CAPED Ijn particular have ever visited Basohli or othe town/ village to take stock of the ground reality prevailing there. Or it should be construed that everyone from the peon to the minister in theC APED are hands in globe for distribution of the booty. In order to shed the load of the PDS shop at Basohli and ensure the supply of every ration item to the consumers, it is requested to arrange for un interrupted supply of the ration and also provide four new shops in the town and the peripheral villages.
Shiv Kumar Padha
Basohli.
