The distribution of ration cards is getting delayed but officials of the district collectorate have put the blame on the civil supplies department.
HYDERABAD: The distribution of ration cards in the city is getting delayed but officials of the district collectorate have put the blame on the civil supplies department. The A P civil supplies corporation that has released the money promptly for the ration cards distribution in other districts has not done the same for the programme in the city, officials of the district administration complained.
The corporation was supposed to release more than Rs 3 crore, but only Rs 80 lakh has been released till date. When the process was launched in the districts, the civil supplies corporation made the exercise easy by playing its role effectively, particularly on the funding part.
But when it came to the city, the corporation has hardly been releasing funds since the launch of the exercise in January, they said. The distribution process is supposed to be a joint responsibility of various departments, mainly the civil supplies and the district administration. Despite representations for money by the district collectorate, the corporation has not taken adequate steps to release the fund, the officials complained.
Building owners who have rented their buildings and function halls for setting up the DPL centres are forcing the authorities to vacate the places due to no payment of rents. Part of the expenditure is met by the fees collected from the applicants. Each applicant is paying Rs 40 for the card. "We hope that the civil supplies corporation will release the money soon. As of now we are managing but it will become difficult if funds are not released immediately," the collector said.