The members of the Tamil Nadu Pengal Sangam staged an agitation handing over mass applications for ration cards at the taluk supply office in the city on Wednesday.
The agitation was to protest against the non-provision of ration cards to the people who had applied for the same long ago.
D. Indira David, Salem city convener of the Sangam, led the agitation. S. Sivakamasundari, state convener of the Sangam, and others spoke highlighting the demands.
The Sangam said that poor and downtrodden mainly depend on the essential commodities distributed through the fair price shops.
In the absence of ration cards they are not able to get these commodities in the ration shops and they have to spend much for getting the same in the open market.
The ration card was helpful to the people in many ways and has become an important government document.
A large number of residents of Jagir Ammapalayam and Kalyanasundaram Colony in Salem city have submitted the application cards to the civil supplies authorities long ago. But they have not received the card so far. The officials have not taken steps for even verifying the details provided in the application forms. Taking advantage of the inordinate delay, people with vested interests were extracting money from the innocent people assuring them ration cards.
