Srinagar, Aug 18: A large number of Fair Price (FP) Shops across the Srinagar city are running out of essential stocks as constant curfews and strikes are threatening the Public Distribution System.  
 Consumers from various parts of summer capital—especially the old city—today complained that they did not get foodgrains under PDS at the local FP shops which were running out of stocks.
 “During the past one month our local FP Shop received the supplies only once which were insufficient to meet the requirements. Since then there is no supply at all and the shop is empty,” said a resident from Nigeen locality, here.
 Consumers said almost all the FP shops in the city were running out of sugar and flour stocks.  “Even as markets opened today we could not find the food grains at the FP Shops,” said a consumer from Bemina, here, with many consumers from other parts of old city echoing the similar concerns.
 The PDS functions through a network of FP Shops entrusted with the responsibility of distributing foodgrains and other essential items to the ration card holders in their areas.
 “While in other districts of the Valley it is ensured that there are plenty of stocks available at FS Shops, in Srinagar they running dry for weeks together,” complained the consumers.
 Director, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), Abdul Waheed Tak, acknowledged that there was shortage of foodgrains at FP Shops at some places.
 He attributed the shortage to the restricted vehicular movement on streets in the wake of prevailing crisis.
 “Earlier we would hire private vehicles to send supplies to the ration centres. But in the present situations many of such vehicles were attacked by people at many places and their windowpanes were broken. So private transport operators are now reluctant to ferry the supplies, which leaves us with no option but to rely upon RTC vehicles that are quite limited in number,” Tak explained, adding that it was the reason that supplies to these shops had been disturbed.
 He said the department was now feeding the ration centres in a phased manner.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST