Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 30: Food and Supplies Employees Association today demanded probe into the distribution of rotten rice in the Valley.
Addressing a press conference, Riyaz Ahmad Sofi, President Food and Supplies Employees Union said the Food Corporation of India is mixing rotten rice with the fresh rice and supplying it to the valley. “At Budgam godown, which is under FCI, 12000 quantiles of rice were found unfit for consumption. But, for some unknown reasons, the supplies have been resumed. It is worth to know what happened to the damaged 12000 quintals of rice that was there. Were they mixed with fresh rice or wasted?” he said, adding that recently 6 truckloads of rotten rice was stored there.
Another Godown at Shelwath was sealed by the concerned officials two years back for supplying rotten rice, but the godown continues to supply rotten rice. “Today it supplies rice to ICDS and is consumed by children,” he said.
He alleged that FCI buys rotten rice from different States of the country at half the price and supplies it to the Valley. ” FCI sells and buys the rice itself and dispatches it to Kashmir,” he said, adding that the practice has been going on for last several years.
He appealed appeal Governor to look into the matter.