Staff crunch hits work at Telangana civil supplies department

Somajiguda: The State Civil Supplies department of Telangana located here has come under severe staff constraint, with as many as 21,000 applications for new ration cards still pending. Crowds are mostly seen at the department office seeking immediate issuance of ration cards.

People complained that there is a slow pace for verification of ration cards, though they are eligible, but still have to pay many visits to the office to inquire about status of their applications.

Staffers who spoke to The Hans India said, "This department is very short-staffed; 21,000 applications are yet to be scrutinised by the Civil Supply Officers (CSOs). There are no officers to reject or approve applications."

Eligible persons are still looking forward to when the department will release the cards. The process of issuance of ration cards as well as re-location from the newly made address in LB Nagar constituency does not appear to be accessible.

Sources said that the department is operating without CSOs in the City. The sanctioned posts of area rationing officers and supply inspectors have been vacant for the last many years.

Due to staff shortage, the department has failed to issue ration cards to beneficiaries. Working of the public distribution system has also been affected in the City.

Ration card-holders in various parts of the City are often seen waiting or getting into arguments at office as their applications have either not been verified and are not being issued on time by the department.

"Though the State government recently decided to take up the pending 4.97 lakh ration cards, till now only around 12,000 cards have been issued. It also promised to complete this exercise on June 25, but till July 5, still, thousands of applications are pending with the department," said Mohammed Minhaj, a social activist.

There is a staff crunch in Mandal Revenue Inspectors to verify the applications' data, as per the eligibility criteria, and recommend new ration cards. There are also less field-level officers to conduct inquiry.

Speaking to The Hans India, on condition of anonymity, an official said, "We handle many issues, like technical glitches, printing of cards. We are struggling without manpower. After the government ordered us to clear the pending applications, we have been working till late evenings to avoid verification of applications daily. Hence, we work late so that there is no pendency."