Tumakuru: Startling revelations have surfaced as six thousand kilograms of rice, intended for distribution to the needy during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now decaying in a warehouse infested with rats. The warehouse, operated by the Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Limited in Nelamangala taluk, has seen rice and wheat left unattended for the past two years.
Despite initial plans to distribute the rice to hostels and government schools, the current state of the warehouse is disheartening. The storage facility has become a breeding ground for hundreds of rats, cockroaches, and mites, with the warehouse manager seemingly indifferent to the deteriorating conditions. Warehouse management officials now intend to return thousands of kilograms of rice, contaminated with feces and urine over the past two years, to the departmental corporation’s warehouse.
Shivakumar, an officer responsible for warehouse management, expressed concern about the lack of response to rice applications during the COVID-19 period. However, officials from the Social Welfare Department claim they never received any applications and distance themselves from the issue.
In a surprising twist, the warehouse officer, Shivakumar, clarified that the rice in question belongs to the Social Welfare Department and remains stored due to non-acceptance by the return department. Vani, Assistant Director of the Social Welfare Department, denies any responsibility, stating that the rice issue is unrelated to their department, and they have neither received any application nor notice. She added that blame for the warehouse’s negligence has been wrongly attributed to their department.
Also read:
