GSS holds awareness programme

From Our Correspondent

Silchar, May 7: A consumer awareness programme was held in the Chotomamda Sadhin Bazar L P School premises under the Lakhipur sub-division recently. The meeting was presided over by Gandha Bauri, social worker. In the meeting, Gudhar Mirja in the very outset while briefing the aim and objective of the meeting said, the poor people of Chotomamda GP are not getting their due APL rice for a very long period. He said, not only that, the public distribution system (PDS) dealers of the area had hatched a conspiracy in April regarding how not to provide APL rice and other allotted commodities to the card-holders.

 Meanwhile, the deprived people of the area contacted the regiol office of GSS regarding the matter. After that, the Samiti cautioned the PDS dealers, if such malpractices are not stopped immediately then a legal complaint would be filed against them. Dibandhu Chakraborty, president of Bikandi tea garden committee, said that GSS being an NGO is fighting for the poor and deprived people of the valley without any aid and fincial support from the government. He further said that people are its only strength in the fight against such corruption and the common masses have to come forward to make this movement a success. He said a section of people with vested interested are trying to stop this movement from succeeding against the corrupt practices.

 Prabal Dutta said that even after orders issued by the government the poor people of the Chotomamda GP are not getting their due APL rice, which is being sold by the dealers to the black-marketers in exorbitant prices illegally. Biplob Kumar Goswami, general secretary of the central committee, GSS, said as long as the poor people are ignorant of their rights, they will continue to get exploited at the hands of unscrupulous dealers. He said education is the only salvation for these poor masses in the fight against corruption.

Goswami further said, Lakhipur Food and Civil Supply (FCS) has become a very corrupt department and turned into a haven for black-marketers. He also alleged that the APL rice, atta and other commodities allotted for the poor people are being sold by some corrupt officials to the black-marketers. He also alleged some government officials are hand in glove with these unscrupulous dealers in the loot going on in the department.

 A new sub-committee for the Chotomamda GP has also been formed in the meeting to fight against the grave injustices committed against the poor and deprived people of the area. This information was sent to The Sentilthrough a press-release signed by Biplob Kumar Goswami, general secretary of the central committee, Grahak Suraksha Samiti.