Plea to restore essentials for ration card holders dismissed

Chennai: The Madras high court has dismissed a petition, which sought a direction to the state government to take immediate steps to restore the availability of  essentials to all the ration card holders in all fair price shops run by the government.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G.Ramesh and Justice M.Sundar dismissed the Public Interest Litigation filed by advocate D. Simon. According to petitioner, since the fair price shops in the state were providing rice, kerosene, sugar, dhal and palm oil at subsidized rates, the poor, middle and upper middle class were able to run their families. However, all the fair price shops were now-a-days not distributing these important goods.

Moreover, instead of 10 kg free rice to poor, the fair price shops were supplying wheat.  Newspapers have reported that the authorities have not taken steps to issue tender for procurement of these goods for the reasons best known to them. Because of their inaction, the entire people of the state were adversely affected, he added.

Dismissing the petition, the bench said, "It is the submission of the government pleader that the state of Tamil Nadu is one of the best states in supplying the essential commodities to the poor and needy people. On hearing the counsels for the parties, we are of the view that the petition is bereft of material particulars or statistics.

This petition is based on newspaper reports and without any other ground work. The grievance of the petitioner cannot be termed PIL".