Doorstep delivery turns road delivery in East Godavari

Kakinada: The happiness of the ration card holders receiving ration items at their doorstep was short-lived as people are put to a lot of hardship and they are made to stand in the groups waiting on the road for the delivery of ration items. They are expressing anguish and disappointment in view of the physical toil and long waiting.

The ration card holders felt happy for the door delivery after Jagan Mohan Reddy assumed power as Chief Minister. But in recent times, the system has become ineffective as the ration card holders are made to stand on the corner and middle of the roads and wait for long hours to get their essential commodities.

Many of them are aged and women who have to leave their house chores to get ration. They express anguish and unhappiness as they are unable to stand for such a long time. Moreover, the traffic is also being held up in view of the groups of people waiting for ration in the middle of the roads.

Some of them even feel that the old system of getting ration from the dealers was far better than this toilsome wait for hours together on the road. It causes traffic obstruction besides listening to the abuses of road users.

The Chief Minister had introduced the mobile door delivery system for the convenience of ration card holders, especially the senior citizens. Even though the CM took up the issue of distributing the essential commodities at the houses of the ration card holders enthusiastically and in a prestigious manner, the officials concerned have woefully failed to ensure the door delivery of ration.

Besides standing in the hot sun, the ration card holders are unable to give their finger impression due to failure of servers.

Civil Supplies DSO Prasad Rao told 'The Hans India'that appropriate steps are being taken to restore the free delivery of commodities at the houses very shortly. He also assured that volunteers along with MDU units compulsorily attend for free delivery of ration items.

In case of failure and violation of the rule, stringent action would be taken against erring volunteers along with MDU units. He said that so far 60 per cent of the people have received essential commodities and the rest of the people could not receive early in view of the Panchayat elections.

AP High Court on Monday gave green signal for supply of ration to beneficiaries through door delivery vehicles and suspended the State Election Commission's order till March 15. As per the instructions of higher officials, the free delivery of essential commodities will be made even in villages where elections are being conducted in the district.

Mayor Sunkara Pavani requested the government to make free supply of commodities in order that people do not face any inconvenience or hardship.

CPM activists staged a dharna in front of the Collectorate and have been protesting for the last fifteen days against the non-delivery of essential commodities in the district.

CPM Kakinada city secretary Ch Ajay Kumar stated that people are put to a lot of inconvenience and deprived of ration items for the last fifteen days. He demanded that the government immediately supply ration items without causing further delay and inconvenience.