the goan I network
MARGAO
As ration card holders from Fatorda complained of supply of food grains infested with pests, officials of the Civil Supplies department and the fair price shop owner were involved in a blame game as they passed on the buck on each other.
While the fair price shop owner Ramesh Naik claimed the “tourists” (pests) have come to his shop from the Food Corporation of India’s godown, Civil Supplies inspector Arun Pillai has rejected the theory of the FCI godown being infested with pests, saying he had only recently inspected the godown and had found everything in order.
The incident of supply of food grains infested with pests came to light after a local resident of Fatorda Melicia Castanha procured rice from the fair price shop situated near the Nehru stadium, only to find the food grains infested by pests. “These food grains are unfit for human consumption. When I opened the rice at home, I found the pests all around. I immediately went back to the fair price shops and returned the rice and got my money back,” she told The Goan.
Mecilia demanded to know whether it is proper on the part of the authorities to supply food grains infested with pests to the people. “The authorities ought to have maintained a close check on the quality of food grains supplied by the fair price shops,” she added.
When The Goan contacted the fair price shop owner Ramesh Naik, he blamed the FCI godown for the situation, terming the “tourists” (pests) has invaded his fair price shop after the consignment was brought from the FCI godown. “This is not the first time that food grains infested with pests have been supplied to the shops. This has been going on in the past,” he said, while showing newspaper clippings to justify that the godowns are infested with the pests.
Salcete Civil Supplies Inspector Arun Pillai, however, has begged to differ. The Civil Supplies inspector maintained that he had recently inspected the FCI godown on January 31 last, but did not come across pests in the food grains. He went on to say that the godown was recently fumigated to take care of the presence of pests, while promising to inspect the Fatorda fair price shop to obtain first hand information about the pests.
