6 lakh ration card excess - Food department probe reveals Jalpaiguri cards

TT; Jalpaiguri, Aug. 24: A probe by the Jalpaiguri food and civil supplies department has found that the district has over 6 lakh ration cards more than its population. According to the 2011 census, the population in the district is 38,69,675 but the number of ration cards in the district is 42,24,453.

 That makes the number of excess cards 3,54,778. But in the last six months, according to the district food controller, around 2.74 lakh bogus ration cards have been cancelled. When both the numbers — the excess cards and the bogus cards already scrapped — are added, the figure comes to around 6.29 lakh ration cards. “In April last year, we started a drive to cancel fake ration cards.

 Till May 2012, about 2.74 lakh fake ration cards have been scrapped but still, compared to the population figures, we have found that around 3.54 lakh ration cards are in excess and have been distributed across the district,” said Biswajit Biswas, the district food controller of Jalpaiguri said. 

 “Our officers have been instructed throughout the district to cancel such ration cards.” Officials of the Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics in the district, who keep the census data, said according to the 2001 census, the population of Jalpaiguri district was 34,01,173.

 “This has increased to 38,69,675 in the 2011 census. Interestingly, the total number of valid ration cards in the district is 42,24,453, which means, an excess of 3,54,778 cards as compared to the population,” an official said.

 “Considering that the drive to cancel fake cards in the district scrapped nearly two and a half lakh cards, it is evident that the total number of fake cards is over 6 lakh.” Biswas said that in Jalpaiguri and Malbazar, the department cancelled 89,315 APL cards and in Alipurduar subdivision, 1,51,781 APL cards were cancelled. 

 “This means a total of 2,41,096 APL cards have been cancelled till May this year. Added to these is the cancellation of 33,392 fake BPL ration cards in the district, which increased the figure to 2,74,488 ,” Biswas said.

 “Even after cancellation of so many cards, there are still 3.55 lakh cards more than the population.” According to Biswas, 19,254 cards have been cancelled in Dhupguri block while in Metelli, only 56 cards were found fake. 

 “Most of the time, if somebody is transferred outside the district, he does not surrender the card. Similar is the situation in the case of death, as family members rarely surrender the ration card. In Alipurduar, it is now mandatory to submit ration cards of the deceased to obtaining a death certificate.

 The rule will be introduced across the district,” Biswas said. Sources at the food supply department said fake ration cards are issued in connivance with a section of government employees and political leaders. “Political leaders play a role in getting such cards issued for new residents to make them voters. The cards are usually issued in lieu of certificates given by civic bodies or panchayats,” the source said.