the goan I network
MARGAO
Senior officials of the Civil Supplies department on Monday inspected the fair price shop at Fatorda which was responsible for supplying food grains infested with pests.
Three days back The Goan had highlighted the plight of ration card holders who were shocked to find pests in the food grains purchased by them.
The four-member team of Civil Supplies was welcomed by pests moving all around the fair price shop, even as the owner and the officials continued to pass the buck over the same.
While fair price shop owner Ramesh Naik insisted that the pests have found their way in his shop from the godown at Cortalim, the officials denied the claim. They insisted no pests have were found in the Food Corporation of India’s godown at Cortalim during a recent inspection.
The officials, including Arun Pillai, maintained that the stock of food grains lying in the fair price shop is all affected by pests. He suggested fumigation of the premises after removing the entire stock.
The officials told The Goan that they will submit a detailed report to the Civil Supplies Director to take a call on the issue.
The FPS owner told The Goan that the food grain stock infested by pests was received by his shop in November last. “I had lifted the stock from the Cortalim FCI godown in the month of November, when the godown was infested with pests,” he said, while producing a newspaper clipping which had highlighted that pests had hit the FCI godown. “I cannot be blamed for the pests in the food grains since I had received the stock from the FCI godown,” he asserted.
