CRACKDOWN ON ERRANT RATION SHOPS
Records of four other ration shops were seized during Thursday’s surprise inspection by officials of the Food and Supplies department of Delhi government
NEW DELHI: Following complaints from residents in various constituencies, the Food and Supplies department of Delhi government on Thursday made a surprise inspection of various fair price shops in the city, which resulted in the closure of one FPS and records of four such shops were seized.
Delhi Food and Civil Supplies minister Imran Hussain on Thursday ordered the inspection after he found a ration shop in north east Delhi’s Seemapuri to be closed.
Hussain also ordered a probe in connection with the absence of food and supply officers (FSO) and food inspectors at their circle offices in Rohtash Nagar, Seelampur and Babarpur area, the government said in a statement.
“Out of ration shops, one was found closed during the minister’s inspection. Thereafter, he directed sealing the FPS and taking strict action against the owner, including suspension of license,” a senior official said.
“When I visited the shops, no officer was present. Neither was the food and supply inspector at the circle office,” said Hussain said, adding that the office was also lying filthy.
Talking to officials, the minister found that many offices are in a similar condition, after which he directed that showcause notice be sent to these officials.
According to sources, the Department received various complaints from residents, regarding non-issuance of ration card, failure to supply of ration on time and irregular monitoring of FPS.
“We have gathered the complaints and formed teams to visit these shops,” said an official.
Hussain has also ordered officials of his department to collect complaints from residents and submit a report to the shops. Different teams will visit these shops and investigate the matter.
“The minister has clearly said that if the shops are closed, we will seal them immediately,” another official said.
However, officials agreed that ration delivery is still a problem in various parts of the Capital and mostly at the outskirts of the city.
The Department previously had planned to make the whole system of ration delivery digital, but it is still pending. Sources assert that digitisation of the ration system is the only way to check corruption.