Photo caption
Salcete ration card holders seek intervention of deputy Collector, Ajit Panchwadkar to their grievances. Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
System failure in the Salcete Civil Supplies office at the South Goa district Collectorate triggered an uproar on Thursday as ration card holders protested after being told to go home and come only the next day to submit their documents and take the new cards.
The incident occurred on Thursday morning after the ration card holders suddenly realised that civil supplies officials put up a board informing the card holders of the systems failure and to come the next day to collect their cards.
Infuriated over the notice, the ration card holders went to the Salcete Mamlatdar, only to find him not on his chair. They tried to call on the Joint Mamlatdars, but in vain, before they lodged their grievances with a lady mamlatdar.
The ration card holders later went to the office of the Deputy Collector, Ajit Panchwadkar who immediately summoned officials of the Civil Supplies department to resolved the imbroglio.
A card holder Branca Madeira said she has been standing in the queue since 7.30 in the morning, adding that the people were only told at 10.15 am to come the next day on account of the systems failure. “Why are the people being made to come again and again to the office to collect their ration cards. We are helpless," she said, while demanding intervention of the authorities.
Deputy Collector Ajit Panchwadkar told The Goan that though the grievances of the card holders have been resolved, a system needs to be put in place to ensure that there’s no beeline by the card holders at the Civil Supplies office everyday. “I have impressed upon the Civil Supplies officials to work out a system to avoid the daily queues by calling only a fixed number of card holders," Panchwadkar added.
