BJP bandh over NFSA goof-up hits Rayagada

Koraput: Traffic came to a standstill across Rayagada district during the 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by the BJP, district unit, on Tuesday in protest against the alleged irregularities in distribution of ration cards under the National Food Security Act. BJP workers blocked roads at several places in the district. Business establishments and markets remained shut.
The agitators alleged that while thousands of eligible beneficiaries have not been provided with the ration card, the officials in connivance with the ruling BJD leaders have distributed the cards to ineligible beneficiaries. "We demand immediate distribution of ration cards to the beneficiaries and strong action against officials who during scrutiny overlooked the forms of the ineligible people and distributed cards to them," said BJP's Rayagada district president Siba Shankar Ulaka. The saffron party also opposed the collection of fine from people who had taken rice, wheat and kerosene at subsidy after receiving the ration card. The fine should be collected from the officials who distributed the cards and not forcibly from those who received the commodities after getting the cards, Ulaka said.
Officials said till date fine of Rs 40, 46,659 has been collected at the rate of Rs 30, Rs 22 and Rs 50 per kg for rice, wheat and kerosene from the ineligible beneficiaries who had taken the commodities through the ration card in Rayagada district.
Around 1,126 ineligible beneficiaries have returned their ration cards and it will be distributed among eligible beneficiaries. The district targets to distribute 2,36,000 ration cards to 7,94, 000 people, said Neelakantha Mohanty, civil supplies officer, Rayagada. Police said adequate security arrangements were made for the bandh call and no violence was reported. Barring minor stray incidents, the bandh was peaceful, said SDPO (Rayagada) Y Jagannath Rao.