Food crunch hits Jajarkot locals

Jajarkot, October 5

The dearth of rice at the Nepal Food Corporation depot in Jajarkot has forced hundreds of locals to return empty-handed.

Lok Bahadur Singh, a local from Nayakdanda, said he was sent back empty-handed from the food corporation depot yesterday. Singh had reached the corporation’s depot to receive rice for Dashain after the corporation informed that rice was being distributed to the locals.

Singh had stood in queue to receive rice from early morning, but the depot declared it had run out of rice before his turn. “We don’t even have rice to make Tika for Dashain,” he said.

Similar is the plight of Kali Bahadur Shahi from Rokayagaun VDC. He was also compelled return-empty handed after the depot ran out of stock. “There is no rice in the district. We don’t have anything to eat,” said Shahi.

Another consumer Khagendra Bohora expressed concern that he had nothing to feed his family after the depot sent him back empty-handed. “What are we supposed to feed our families and guests during Dashain?” he wondered.

Meanwhile, chief at the depot Dipak Aryal said more than 81 quintal rice was distributed from the depot within an hour. “The demand of rice is high, but we’ve run out of stock,” he informed.

He said rice, which had been stored last year, had been distributed this year. “Rice for this fiscal has yet to be supplied to the district,” he added.

Every year, Nayakdanda, Sakla, Ramidanda and Rokayagaun VDCs reel under acute shortage of food due to less production in the local level and problems while supplying food to the areas.

Locals at the VDCs are compelled to walk for hours to reach the road network due to the difficult terrain.

Principal of a local school, Gorakh Banahdur Singh, said foodstuff could not be supplied to the district due to risky roads.