Andhra Pradesh - Others   

`Bogus' ration cards come to light

Staff Reporter

ADILABAD: The Government's move to issue subsidised ration only on the new cards starting this month has jolted out of reverie the holders of `bogus' ration cards.

Perturbed over their old cards turning useless, people have started approaching the authorities seeking new ration cards. The authorities cannot but turn them off because the process of issuing new ration cards in urban areas has ended.

What is notable is the person seeking a white ration card is usually a `relation' of the old card holder in whose name he wants the card to be issued. There are a number of excuses given for the absence of the card holder.

However, such pestering makes officials put difficult questions to them which exposes the card holder's claims.

"Why did these people fail to avail of the opportunity of getting a new one or exchanging the old card for a biometric card even after the dates were extended till November 30, 2005," asks an official.

`Pledged' cards

"Most of late comers had operated ration cards which were `pledged' with them by the card holders. The original card holder would have migrated to some other place long ago," pointed out another official of the Civil Supplies Department.

It was in 1992 that ration cards ought to have been renewed or exchanged. All these years, these cards got a new lease of life just by pasting a paper instead of new leafs in the ration book.

At the end of the current exercise, 23,896 old white ration cards of a total of 75,035 were not exchanged. Does this give an indication of the problem, which of course has become `old.'

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