GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has directed the state government to provide help in the form of food and other day-to-day support to the families living in slums of Guwahati, who do not have a ration card and are in need of help during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The court also directed the government to identify the ration card beneficiaries in slum areas of Uzan Bazar, Bharalumukh, Santipur and Bhutnath in Guwahati.
The court was hearing a petition filed by one Syeda Mehzebin Rahman of Guwahati regarding the issuance of ration cards for households in the slum areas in the city.
It was submitted that since the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) election has not taken place, there is no ward commissioner who could identify the people who do not have ration cards.
In view of this, the court directed that as a temporary arrangement, the inspector of food and civil supplies attached to the office of the deputy commissioner, Kamrup (Metro), or any such competent authority be identified in absence of the ward commissioner for the purpose of identification.
Similar directions have been issued to provide food and other day-to-day support to such families who have earlier been identified by para-legal volunteers and who fulfil the conditions for grant of such benefits.
"The deputy commissioner, Kamrup (Metro) shall undertake the aforesaid exercise within eight weeks by following the National Food Security Act, 2013, and the guidelines issued in that regard, including on 08.08.2013," the court stated.
