ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
Bhubaneswar: Blaming the state government for the death of two tribal women in the Mango kernel incident, the Opposition Congress Tuesday sought Governor Raghubar Das’ intervention into the matter. The party also demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation for the family members of the deceased tribal women. A delegation of the Congress led by Rama Chandra Kadam met Das and apprised him of the recent incident in which two tribal women in Mandipanka village of Kandhamal district tragically died and six others were hospitalised after consuming Mango kernel (Amba Takua).
The delegation also submitted a memorandum to the Governor seeking his intervention. The party said the women were forced to consume Mango kernel gruel as they had acute food scarcity. The Congress said that the incident exposed severe food insecurity in the region and total failure of the public distribution system. They alleged that it is total neglect on part on district and state administration. “Had the food supplies been released on time, the incident— and the loss of two precious lives—could have been averted. Delay in food distribution violates the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and is a criminal offense,” the party said. Kadam said that the Food Supplies Minister’s claims that families had sufficient rice and simply did not collect their October-December quota is totally false and misleading statement intended to hide his own failures. Villagers are not consuming mango kernels by choice but they are forced to do so because of insufficient food, he said. The party requested the Governor saying, “As you are the constitutional custodian of tribal rights, we request your visit to these areas to witness the ground realities firsthand. Your presence will bring much-needed attention to the issues, helping to set many things back on track.” The Congress also demanded the removal of the food supplies and consumer welfare minister and action against the Kandhamal district collector.