Done with Ration Card, now effort is on to get compensation

For more than 3 years, around 36 families from villagers of Thiruppeyar, Thiruppeyar Thakka and Pudukalani could not get ration card in spite of applying before the concerned Taluka Supply Officer. Even I had to follow up for almost a year with the concerned offices and their higher authorities by RTIs, writing letters and issuing legal notices, still there was no progress. Therefore, regarding this, I had to file Public Interest Litigation (W.P.3067 of 2018) before the Hon'ble High Court of Madras seeking ration card as well as compensation for depriving them the benefit of government schemes due to lack of ration card all these years.

The Honourable court upon hearing me, directed the Taluka Supply Officer to issue ration card and submit compliance report after issuing the ration card. Accordingly ration card was issued to 35 eligible families. In the final hearing which was held on 2nd April, 2018, the Honourable Court refused to entertain arguments on compensation by stating that “that court cannot upon affidavits adjudicate a claim for compensation, which is in nature of a claim for damages”. However, the Honourable court further said that “the disposal of this writ petition will not prevent the petitioner from claiming compensation before the appropriate forum in accordance with law, if so advised”.

This has thrown an opportunity to me to approach the Food Commissioner of Tamil Nadu Government for seeking compensation for the poor families under Food Security Act, 2013. Now Effort is on to get compensation from the very people (Tamil Nadu Government), who were responsible for depriving the rights of the poor families for years. After all Principle of Natural Justice and Rule of Law provides everyone enough opportunity to tell their side of the story. I am going to give another chance to them. Lets see how they respond this time.

An effort to get ration card for poor and deserving villagers - Part-II

Many poor families in the villages of Thiruppeyar, Thiruppeyar Thakka, and Pudukalani are not having a ration card for more than 6 years.  Earlier, they had their names on their parents’ ration cards; however, once they got their own family and children, their name was removed from the existing ration card. Therefore, such people had applied for a new ration card. However, upon applying for a new ration card, their applications were never processed by the concerned Ulundurpettai Taluka Office. More than 40 families from these villages are living without a ration card even now.

Many of them have made applications more than five times. However, there were no official communications about their applications. Only the applicants who filed RTI application, issued a legal notice, RTI seeking ration card could get a ration card. That too after extraordinary delay as mentioned in my previous post.

It was stated by the Taluka Supply Officer (TSO), Ulundurpettai that the district administration temporarily stopped issuing a ration card and however resumed now (2016 July) in one of RTI reply. However, there was no reason for that as well. Even after that period also ration card was not issued to the above said villagers except the one who took an extraordinary effort of issuing a legal notice.

In an effort to get a ration card for the poor villagers, on 08.11.2016, I filed RTI application before the District Supply Office, Villupuram seeking a copy of the order of the district administration, which instructs concerned authorities to stop the printing of ration card temporarily for Ulundurpettai Taluka and the number of ration card issued to residents belong to Ulundurpettai Taluka village-wise during January 2011 to October 2016. For that, the said application was transferred to Ulundurpettai Taluka Office. However, till date, there was no reply from either of said office.

I also contacted the Taluka Supply Office to request him to process the ration card applications of these poor villagers. For that, he stated that many of the applications were not properly filed. Therefore, I and my brother helped around 20 applicants to file new ration card applications during the month of December 2016.

Then in the month of March 2017, the Tamil Nadu Government announced that from the 1^st April 2017 ration card applications must be filed in online mode. Taking this as an excuse, the Taluka Supply Officer, asked the applicant to file again through online mode. Against this, I Issued legal notice to the Taluka Supply Officer (TSO) as well as District Supply Officer on 18.04.2017 requesting processing of ration card application and opposing TSO’s arbitrariness. For that, the District Supply Officer instructed the TSO to take necessary action. However, nothing happened. Meanwhile, villagers also started applying for ration card through online mode as well. Still, their applications were not processed by the concerned authorities.

On 08.09.2017, I sent a legal notice on the behalf of 22 ration card applicants, this time to the District Collector, Villupuram & Principal Secretary, Food & Civil Supply Department as well. For the District Collector instructed the TSO, Ulundurpettai to take action immediate action. And even upon Principal Secretary’s reference, the Commissioner of Food Supply & Consumer Protection Department also instructed via a letter dated 22.09.2017 to the District administration to take immediate action to redress the grievances of the ration card applicant. However, nothing has been done till date. As of now to my knowledge, there are 35 ration card applicants, who are waiting for more than 8 months after applying through online mode, and authorities are not ready to process.

On 8^th January 2018, I contacted the Deputy Commissioner’s office (Food Supply & Consumer Protection Department) at 9445000150 and complained about the failure of Taluka Supply Office, Ulundurpettai to process ration card applications. For that, he stated that the processing of a new ration card has been stopped in order to facilitate the printing of smart cards to the existing ration cardholders. He also stated that it will take at least two more months for starting the processing of new applications. Therefore, I have now filed an RTI application seeking a copy of the Government instruction/order, which states the above said reason for stopping the processing of the ration card applicants. 

#PDS #RationCard #Ration #TSO #Food #FoodSupply

An effort to get ration card for poor and deserving villagers - Part-I

Ration Card holders in Tamil Nadu are getting free rice of 25 kg per month through Public Distribution System (PDS) from the date of 01.06.2011, in addition to other subsidized food-grains. However, the Taluka Supply Office, Ulundurpettai was reluctant to issue new ration card to the eligible residents of our villages namely Thiruppeyar Thakka, Thiruppeyar, and Pudukeni. This is, in spite of the fact that, they have applied for the same. 

I came across four ration card applicants, who applied for a ration card at the Taluka Supply Office, Ulundurpettai way back in 09.01.2012, 11.12.2013, 11.08.2015 & 07.01.2014. They narrated their ordeals because of lack of ration card and also complained about the irresponsible attitude and inaction of the Taluka Supply Officer. 

In an effort to get ration card to them, I drafted RTI application for them seeking the reason for extra-ordinate delay in issuing ration card, which was sent on 29.06.2016 to the Public Information Officer, Taluka Supply Office. However, it did not elicit any response within the prescribed time of 48 hours.

Therefore, under RTI Act, the first appeal dated 15.07.2016 was sent by all of the above four applicants. For that, the First Appellate Authority, who is also District Supply Officer at that time, replied via letters no.Na.ka.S2/5596/2016 to Na.Ka.S2/5599/2016 dated NIL.08.2016, by stating that “due to some administrative reason printing of ration card has been stopped temporarily and recently we have been instructed to start verification process again on the pending ration card applications according to government rules and thereafter, would be sent to District Supply Officer’s office for printing”.

There was no development regarding ration card until September 2016. Therefore, those four applicants issued legal notice on 01.09.2016 demanding ration card and compensation for the extraordinary delay and the same has been sent to the Taluka Supply Officer (Ulundurpettai), District Supply Officer (Villupuram) and District Collector, Villupuram. In spite of that, there was no response from any of the officers. Finally, in the month of February 2017, the applicants got their new ration cards.

In order to get the basic thing done from the public authority without paying a bribe, they had to fight for their rights by sending RTI applications, first appeals and legal notices. They (four applicants) had to incur Rs.200/- each for documentation and postal charges. In spite of this, they had to wait for many months. 

This is the reality of the working of the Taluka Supply Office, Ulundurpettai and nothing has been changed till this day. Rule of Law nowhere exists in their office.

 I will explain about my next stage of effort in the next blog.