FOOD FOR ALL !

Leftists' demonstration against food dept

Activists of three constituent parties of the Left Front – the Forward Bloc, the CPI and the CPI-M staged a demonstration at the office of the food and supply office in Dinhata today. They also submitted a memorandum to the circle inspector of the department, Mr Tapas Sen. The stir was organised over complaints related to issuing of ration cards and bureaucratic indifference of a section of officials.

District Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha alleged that about 450 ration cards are lying in the files of the office for delivery. More than 4,500 applications for new cards are also pending in the office. Due to the ongoing price hike of essential commodities the people are suffering without ration cards. Now, about 6,000 new cards are needed for the residents in Dinhata, he claimed.

A large number of tribal people of Atialdanga village are yet to get ration cards but no official initiative has been taken so far to provide them of the facility, Mr Guha added.

Mr Guha warned that the Left Front would initiate a massive movement if the food and supply department fails to meet the genuine demands of the people within a month. CPI leader Mr Pallab Chaudhury and CPI-M leader Mr Tarapada Barman also spoke on the occasion.

On the otherhand, the members of the SUCI sponsored Aloo-Pat-Dhan Chashi Sangram Committee staged a roadblock at Dinhata Chaupathi today. Traffic movement was disrupted for a long due to the agitation. The farmers were demonstrating demanding compensation to the growers of Boro variety of paddy that had to suffer due the smut of rice. They also demanded punishment of the dishonest dealers who sold the inferior quality of paddy seeds from their outlets.

At Court Morh in Cooch Behar too, the farmers staged a roadblock and blazed smut affected paddy plants to ventilate their grievances.