Udupi: Belle Villagers agitated over new directives regarding renewal of ration cards

By Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 01 July 2013: The first Grama Sabhe (Village Assembly) of Belle Grama Panchayat for the year 2013-14 was held on Saturday, June 29, 2013. There were  a number of issues that were taken up  for discussion and clarification amidst a lot of noise and heated arguments.  The issue that raised sharp criticism of the administration was the one associated with the directives to get new ration cards for all those families who had had their ration cards made prior to 2010. The directive that the families seeking to have new ration cards should produce neighbours as witnesses which angered the people and raised the temperature of the meeting.

The confusion and anger of the people rose to fever pitch when the Food Department official Sitaram Shetty began explaining the new rule  of making it mandatory for the family seeking new ration card that they should produce neighbours as witnesses. People shouted saying that when they have the old ration card in their possession why the administration wants  the people to burden with such a rule?

 

Rajendra Shetty, president of Belle Grama Panchayat who presided over the Grama Sabhe assured the public that he will try to solve their problems related to new ration cards. Is it that the government does not have faith in the people?  Retired teacher P.D. Kamath and Henry Alva raised the question  that during this season when people have a lot of work, how is it possible for them to come and wait in the Panchayat office for the entire day to get the formalities completed and how the neighbours will come and waste such time for the sake of other families?

 Gerald Fernandes pointed out  that when there were a number of issues related to the loan to the farmers and other related matters  the absence of the officials from the nationalized banks was quite unreasonable.

 
The Grama Sabhe was attended by Zilla Panchayat member  Mrs. Ida Gibba D’Souza,  former president of Taluk Panchayat Devdas Hebbar, Vice president of Grama Panchayat Mrs. Jacintha D’Souza, Belle C.A Bank president  Charles Quadros, Belle Mescom S.O. Basavaraj, Shishu Kalyana official Mrs. Shanthi Prabhu, K.R. Naik from Shirva Police Station, health department officer  Dr. Krishna Prasad, Village accountant Ganesh Kulal, Nodal officer Dayananda Pai, Agricultural officer  Laxmipathi, Zilla Panchayath engineer Janardhan . Sahsidhar Wagle, former president of Belle Grama Panchayat compeered the programme.