Tamil Nadu: Residents protest as PDS shop opens only 2-3 days/month
There are more than 1,000 families living in the village that comes under the Maduranthagam panchayat union.
Residents stage protest over dysfunctional fair price shop in Madurathangam
CHENNAI: Residents of Thandarai Puducherry village in Maduranthagam staged a protest on Monday as the PDS shop opens only 2-3 days a month, and that too only for a few hours.
There are more than 1,000 families living in the village that comes under the Maduranthagam panchayat union.
Though the Thandarai Cooperative PDS shop serves more than 850 ration cardholders, it opens only for 2-3 days a month, and even on those days, it will be kept only for a few hours. This leaves families with no other source to essential food supplies.
“A few months ago, PDS staff was transferred and after that another staff from the nearby village was asked to take care of the shop,” said a villager.
On Monday, hundreds of villagers surrounded the shop and raised slogans demanding relief. “When the shop opens, ration cardholders are often turned away under the pretext that their fingerprints or iris scans are not being recognised. Hundreds of families have been struggling without rice and other essential commodities for months,” said another protestor.
Following the protest, officials from the Maduranthagam Food Supply Department and the Cooperative Society rushed to the spot and spoke to the villagers. They gave assurances that a new permanent salesperson would be appointed within a few days, and that the shop would function full-time every day. They also promised that no cardholder would be denied rations due to biometric issues.
Following these assurances, villagers called off their protest and dispersed.
