North 24 Parganas, 13 July (H.S.): West Bengal Food Minister Ashok Kirtania on Monday conducted a surprise inspection at the godown of a ration dealer in Guma under Habra in North 24 Parganas district following complaints of irregularities in the public distribution system. Acting on the minister's complaint, police arrested the dealer and sealed the godown.

The accused, Shyamal Saha, runs a fair price shop in the Guma area under the Ashoknagar Assembly constituency. He had been facing allegations of denying ration to beneficiaries, withholding ration cards for months and misbehaving with consumers.

During the inspection, several local residents complained to the minister that the dealer had failed to distribute ration for days and, in some cases, for as long as six months. They also alleged that he retained their ration cards and behaved rudely with beneficiaries.

Saha denied the allegations, claiming that he regularly distributed ration. He said some beneficiaries had failed to receive their ration when he was away on personal work and alleged that some people demanded cash instead of foodgrains, filing complaints after he refused.

The minister inspected the stock of foodgrains and verified the records at the godown. Questioning why food stocks several months old were still lying in storage and why beneficiaries had not received their entitlements, Kirtania reprimanded the dealer.

Saha apologised to the minister and even performed sit-ups while holding his ears, but it did not prevent action against him. Based on the minister's complaint, Ashoknagar Police arrested the dealer at the spot and sealed the ration godown. Further investigation is underway.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey