A local agency allegedly misappropriated
Rs 1.35 lakh
for the scheme
Sambalpur: In what could be termed a criminal waste of public money, the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation dumped food cooked for over 8000 people for the Aahaar centres at Durgapali dumping yard here Thursday.
The incident occurred as no one turned up to have food during the three-day economic blockade launched by the lawyers’ association and two-day Bharat Bandh, a report said. The matter came to light when the civic authorities carried the stale food in tractors and dropped them in the dump yard. Mana Trust, a local agency, received the contract to supply cooked food to five Aahaar centres in the town.
Observers have raised questions as to why the agency despite being aware of the closure of the business establishments and offices cooked food for 8000 people for two-days and supplied them to the Aahaar centres.
Locals alleged the agency had misappropriated `1.35 lakh from the civic body. The meals are available at subsidized rates in Aahaar centres for which a customer has to pay `5 per meal while the state gives a subsidy of `15 per meal. Such wastage of food by the agency and the civic authorities is not acceptable when hundreds of people including truck drivers and helpers had to go without food during the bandh.
Some social outfits, moved by the plight of the stranded people, had cooked food and supplied them in the town.
When contacted, Collector Samarth Verma said cooked food had been thrown away due to bandh on Tuesday and Wednesday while additional municipal commissioner Sudhansu Bhoi has been asked to probe the matter. Bhoi said cooked food was wasted as people did not turn up at the Aahaar centres due to bandh.
Samabalpur Mana Trust manager Swaroop Mohapatra said the trust cooks food as per the indent placed by SMC daily. “But it did not ask us not to cook food during the bandh. Consequently, food supplied to Aahaar centres for 3000 people had to be dumped.