Inadequate storage space at the Regional Food Corporation of India, Dehradun compelled the officials concerned to keep sugar sacks in the open. Due to inadequate space at the RFC godown large numbers of sacks filled with sugar were kept in the open in the campus on Thursday. With Dehradun experiencing rainy days, the sugar stored in the open may get spoiled in case of rain.
KC Pandey, an inspector at RFC, Transport Nagar said,” We received 10 truckloads of sugar sacks from Food Corporation of India but due to inadequate space in the godown, the sugar sacks were kept in the open within the campus and PDS dealers were directed to pick up their allocated ration on Thursday itself. We have made proper arrangement for its safety within the campus and it will be covered with a big polythene sheet in case of rain,” he said. The officer failed to provide a satisfactory answer about measures for protecting the sugar sacks in case of heavy rain coupled with strong winds as experienced in the State capital on Wednesday.
He further said that 60,000 quintal rice and 16,000 quintal wheat have been stored in the godown. A proposal for the construction of new godown in the campus has already been sent to the government which is still pending. He claimed that PDS dealers are given correctly weighed food grains and sugar from the godown. However, he added that it is not possible to weigh each sack of PDS rations as these have to be supplied to about 500 PDS dealers in the district.
Uttaranchal Fair Price Dealers Association (UFPDA) president Jitendra Gupta said that PDS dealers were asked to lift their allocated rations from the godown on Thursday. As Dehradun is experiencing rainy days, the sugar stored in the open may get spoiled in case
of rain.
If sugar gets wet due to rain then PDS dealers will be forced to take such sugar from the godown by the officials concerned. Wet sugar is not purchased by the ration card holders which causes loss to the dealers, said Gupta.