Statesman News Service
MALDA, Oct 29: Tensions prevail in Ratua police station area after people assembled demanding ‘compensation’ against the allegedly corrupt ration dealers since last night. The district controller of food and supplies has sent a team of inspectors to control the situation with the help of the local administration today. “I have received information that a group of people have campaigned by microphone to assemble people against some dealers to lodge a protest demanding compensation. The dealers are afraid to move out of their homes. I have sent a team to look into the matter,” Mr NK Saha, Malda DCFS said. According to them, modified dealer Mrs Masuda Begam and her family members are under tremendous pressure to pay compensation at their village under Maharajpur gram panchayat in Ratua. Similarly, another dealer at Ramnagar village under Sripur II gram panchayat has been threatened to pay compensation for failing to supply food grains according to the demand of the consumers. It was learnt that since Mrs Begam and her family members are close to the Congress party, Left local political leaders took the initiative to mobilise villagers against her. The victim dealer informed the ration dealers’ association that she was under pressure at kangaroo court (a local unauthorised court) held last night to pay more than Rs 15 lakhs and it was decided that she would have to pay Rs 6 lakhs. “We are investigating the allegation,” a food inspector said. It may be noted that the Malda dealers association has been instructed to lift food materials and distribute them to all consumers according to demand. Last week all ration shops were closed in this district following the movement of the ration dealers’ association. Dealers have started lifting food materials today from their respective distributors, Mr NK Saha said. “The total requirement of wheat for APL is 1700 MT for a month. There is sufficient stock in the FCI at present,” Mr Saha said.
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