Inferior quality rice to be distributed to Jaffna displaced

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 April 2003, 16:53 GMT]
Civil groups Tuesday complained that officials of the Jaffna district secretariat are planning to distribute to the displaced families in the peninsula as free dry ration, inferior quality rice from six month old three thousand bags stock that was kept at a co-operative store in the Point Pedro high security zone, sources said.

The cargo vessel "Komari" brought three thousand bags of rice to Point Pedro in October last year to be distributed among the displaced families by the Jaffna district secretariat.

The Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement and Refugees Welfare sent the rice to Jaffna for the distribution among displaced, sources said.

However the stock of rice was kept at a store of the Point Pedro co-operative society, which is located in the high security zone for the last six months. Jaffna district secretariat officials did not show any interest to remove it from the store, till last month.

But when the Point Pedro MPCS management brought to the notice of the Jaffna Government Agent that other goods in the store are getting damaged due to the bad rice, secretariat officials are taking steps to clean the spoilt rice and to distribute it among the displaced as free dry ration, sources said.

Since December last year displaced families in Jaffna district have not been provided with free dry ration, sources said.

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