Residents clash with colony authorities over ration distribution

Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 13

East Block, Burma Camp in Dimapur was teeming with residents who gathered to collect ration provided by the government on May 12.

However, things became heated as some of them alleged that while the colony authorities were making the residents pose for photographs with the bags of ration, smaller packages were being distributed afterwards.

East Block, Burma Camp GB, Rangomhau clarified saying that the photographs with the relief package were taken to be sent to the district authority.

Earlier, the State Home Department (Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority) in a notification dated April 21, issued guidelines for distribution of relief packages to daily wage earners or labourers, under which each beneficiary would receive Rice  (10kg), lentils (1 kg) Kholar/ Naga dal (1kg), mustard oil (half litre bottle), sugar (01kg), salt (01kg), tea (200gm), bath soap (02 nos), washing soap (02 nos), masala (100gm packet), onion and garlic (01kg) and chilli powder (100gms).

However, on May 12, when the relief package was distributed, the beneficiaries in East Block Burma Camp allegedly received the items in small bags, containing some few kilos of rice and only a few items as opposed to the NSDMA list.

According to Rangomhau and the colony chairman Haisui Iralu, they had collected 742 names and submitted to the district authority. However when the relief package arrived, the colony received only 250 units. “We had collected names of daily wage workers and labourers. So when the package arrived, there was a shortage and we could not distribute it to only 250 people as it would leave out the rest who are also in dire need,” the GB said. So in consultation with the colony women, youth and church representatives, they agreed to divide the package into smaller units so that everyone on the list would get some relief.

The shortage of relief items in East Block Burma Camp is not an isolated case. According to reports, other colonies also faced shortage in receipt of relief packages as against the number of names they submitted. Niu colony in Dimapur submitted 195 names but received only 90 packages. So they identified the poorest and most in need and distributed whatever relief items they had received, Niu colony chairman told The Morung Express.

According to Dimapur Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) V Lovitoly Sema, while a total of around 26,000 beneficiaries had been identified in Dimapur by the assigned committees, the allocation received for Dimapur was only 11,000. Procurement of items was done according to NSDMA guidelines and the distribution for subdivisions have been covered while for sadar/ town areas, distribution has been started. 

Taking note of the fact that there are more than the allotted 11,000 beneficiaries in Dimapur, the district administration has written to the Home Department requesting additional relief packages for the remaining beneficiaries, the ADC informed.