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Delhi HC raps Delhi govt for delay in renewal of ration cards The Delhi High Court pulled up the Delhi Government’s Foods and Civil supplies (F&S) Department for their lax attitude, causing delay in renewing the ration cards for lakhs of people who are below the poverty line (BPL).
Lashing out at the government counsel who could not reply on the question as to how much time is taken to renew the ration cards, Justice S Murlidhar said,’ Don’t your Bureaucrats know what the court is asking? I simply want to know, if a poor person wants to renew his ration card what should he do? What are the procedures adopted by the F&S department in this regard? ‘ The court pulled up the Assistant Commissioner (Foods) Jagdish Chandra who has joined this department 20 days back and was present in the court. ‘Please familiarise yourself with the procedures before coming to the court and let me know how much time it takes for the renewal of the ration card? I am not asking how much time it takes to make a new ration card?’ the court said.
‘Please set the schedule and come with all records and papers and file your reply on affidavit within next ten days, otherwise I will have to call your commissioner,’ the court told the government lawyer appearing on behalf of the F&S department.
Many petitioners from slum areas of Nangloi, Bawana, Narela and other places approached the Delhi High Court that despite the Delhi Governments commitments that everyone will get the ration cards, which will indicate that the family belongs to the BPL category, they are not being issued such cards.
‘Our earlier ration cards were taken back in 2007 for renewal but we have not received them till date,’ the petitioners lawyer Pradeep Gupta alleged.
The petitioners deposited their ration cards to the department for renewal on November 23, 2007 and were given acknowledgement slips using which they could buy their rations.
There are 70 wards in Delhi and lakhs of people are running from pillar to post to get their ration cards. The authorities are claiming that huge ration supply is being provided to the BPL families but these are all false claims, the petitioners alleged.
The court had earlier directed the Commissioner of Food and Civil Supplies of NCT (Delhi) to file an affidavit in the court by today regarding the steps being taken with regard to the denial and delay in issuing of ration cards to the poor across the national capital and asked them to file an affidavit as to how much time it takes for the renewal of the ration card.
Some of the officials from the F&S department who were present in the court told the judge that it takes 45 days to make a new ration card but they could not answer regarding the renewal time.
‘So you can take as long as you want for renewal?’ Justice Muralidhar asked.
UNI
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