There is no shortage of food grains and kerosene oil in all the disaster-affected districts of the State. Food packets and food grains were dropped by Indian Air Force helicopters in areas which have lost road links, said Uttarakhand Food and Civil Supply Minister Pritam Singh while talking to The Pioneer on Sunday.
Disaster-affected districts have sufficient food grains to meet the demand. District food and civil supply officers have been directed to distribute food grains to the affected residents through public distribution system dealers as per their needs, he added. The Minister reached Harshil in Uttarkashi district and met the affected persons on Sunday.
According to Singh, during his tour of Harshil and other parts of Uttarkashi, he observed that large number of villages have lost road links. Following this, food grains for affected residents of remotest areas and food packets for disaster affected persons have been dropped from helicopters. Food is being prepared for pilgrims in the temporary community kitchens at different places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and other affected districts. According to him, as sky was clear in Uttarkashi on Sunday, around 1000 persons were evacuated from Harshil.
Uttarakhand Food and Civil Supply Principal Secretary Radha Raturi said that she has recently conducted meeting with the DSOs of disaster affected districts and necessary directions were given to them. “As of now, we have enough stock of food grains in the godowns, but we are taking measures to allocate more quantity of food grains to the affected districts,” she added.
Uttarkashi DSO KS Bisht said that 10 kg rice and 10 kg wheat were distributed to each of the 110 affected families whose homes and means of livelihoods were destroyed due to incessant rain and flooding. The list of such families is also being prepared by the department officials and they will be provided rice and wheat through PDS shopkeepers. According to him those fed in community kitchens at 36 places in Uttarkashi included 5717 pilgrims and affected persons on June 16; around 6000 on June 17; 10, 680 on June 18; 10, 355 on June 19; 4750 on June 20, 8100 on June 21 and 5933 on June 22.
Chamoli DSO MS Rana said that there is no shortage of lPG cylinders as these are being supplied to the district from the oil companies since Friday. “We have a stock of 3500 quintal wheat, 4000 quintal rice, 400 quintal sugar in different godowns of the district. We may face shortage of food grains in the district if additional food grains are not supplied to the district within four days. Following this, we have sent a proposal to the State Government for allocating food grains to the district,” he added.