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Villagers make team beat a hasty retreat by Sushil Manav


A team of officials of the Food and Supplies Department from Fatehabad had to beat a hasty retreat when they went to Nadel village near Jakhal for “door-to-door checking” of some records of foodgrains supplied through the public distribution system (PDS).

Villagers, who suspected that the officials had come to the village to tamper with the records, snatched ration cards from them when they were allegedly making some entries in the cards of the villagers.

The Tribune had published a report, “Rotten wheat finds way through PDS”, in these columns yesterday and highlighted the fact as to how fungus-infested wheat was sold to poor families in the village.

The department had, however, played down the issue and claimed that wheat, slightly discoloured due to moisture, had found its way to the ration depot.

Baljit Singh Kuleria, Joint Director of the Food and Supplies Department, visited the village last evening in this connection.

However, after his visit four officials of the Food and Supplies Department from Fatehabad reached the village in a jeep today and said they had come here for a door-to-door inquiry.

“A number of villagers had gathered in a gurdwara to partake of the bhog of akhand path and they told the team members that they were free to conduct any inquiry, but they would not allow them to make any fresh entry in the ration cards,” said Gurmel Singh, sarpanch of the village.

“However, when they started their door-to-door survey, they made some entries in the ration card of the first family they visited,” the sarpanch added.

Gurjeet Singh, a former member of the village panchayat, entries in whose ration card was allegedly tampered with by the officials, called villagers, who asked the team to leave their village.

An exchange of hot words was witnessed between the villagers and the team members, who later left the village without any further inquiry.

Dilbagh Singh Doon, District Food and Supplies Controller, did not respond to several calls made on his mobile phone for knowing his version on the episode.

Kuleria said he would submit his report to his Director in Chandigarh.