KL Report
SRINAGAR
A resident of Old Srinagar City Thursday registered a formal complaint with Chief Ministers Grievance Cell against Director Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department (CA&PD) for allegedly shielding his Supervisor who according to complainant charged Rs 10 for every resident for procuring 25 kg’s rice from the Pokhribal Botakadal ration depot of Lal Bazar area of Srinagar city.
Idrees-ul-Haq, a resident of Lal Bazar told CNS that he called up Director CA&PD after he found, the Supervisor and Ghat Munshi forcing people to pay Rs 10 for getting 25 kg’s rice from them. “I object their action and contacted Director CA&PD who sought details from me about the Supervisor and the Ghat Munshi and assured me that he will take appropriate action against them under rules,” Haq said adding that, “the Director talked to Supervisor through my mobile and after a while when the Supervisor handed over phone to me, the Director on the other side threatened me to get me arrested as according to him, i gave him misinformation.”
Haq added that he has proof and the residents of the locality is witness to the fact that the Supervisor and the Munshi charged Rs 10 from 220 households. “I failed to understand why the Director shielded his ‘corrupt’ employees and instead of taking action against them threatened me,” Haq added.
He further said that the he lodged a formal complaint against the Director CA&PD vide number 52532 with the Chief Ministers Grievance Cell and he hopes that action would be initiated against him for threatening a respectable citizen who simply tried to informed him about the misconduct of his employees.
The complaints about Ration Depot employees demanding money from the locals are pouring in from different localities of Kashmir Valley. The residents of Pakharpora in Mohandpora area alleged that Ghat Munshi also demands Rs 20 from them for procuring 25 kg rice, a charge refuted by said Ghat Munshi.
When contacted Director CA&PD Bilal Ahmed told CNS that no employee from the department can charge any money from the locals. He said that anybody found guilty will be punished. “As far as Pokhribal Botakadal incident is concerned, the complainant provided me misinformation. When I told him to provide details about the Supervisor, he handed over phone to the Supervisor who instead informed me that he is not an employee of CA&PD,” the Director said and appealed people not to pay anything to the ghat munshi’s for 25 kgs rice. He further said that he will visit all the areas where people have complaints regarding the matter.
Pertinently, Government had decided to supply free ration (50 kg) to flood affected people. The decision was later reverted and at present only 25 kg of rice is distributed among flood victims.
