BAJURA, AUGUST 21

Acute shortage of food has hit Bajura district hard. Chief District Officer Krishna Gaire said the shortage of food had been there since Kolti and Kawadi depots in the district ran out of rice stock.

Food supply was also halted after the Sanphe-Martadi road section and local roads were obstructed due to flood and landslides.

A local, Jaya Lal BK said the food crisis has hit Budhinanda Municipality, Himali, Swamikartik, Khaper and Jagannath rural municipalities after contractors did not supply rice as per the agreement.

He said the contractor had agreed to supply 3,500 quintal rice in Kawadi depot last year, but they supplied only 2200 quintal rice.

Himali Rural Municipality Chairman Govinda Malla said food crisis hit the rural municipality after the contractor did not supply the rice as per the agreement.

The Contractor supplied 4,500 quintal rice in Kolti depot, which is below the agreed amount of supply.

Chief at the depot Nabin Prasad Acharya said the contractor had to supply a total 7,000 quintal rice in Kolti depot.

Locals bought the rice from the depot during the COVID pandemic.

Acharya said the locals in the northern part of the district have been facing food crisis after the contractor did not supply the rice as per the agreement. He said around 50 to 60 people, who came to buy rice at the depots returned to their homes empty handed, daily.

Around 50, 000 people have been staying in the northern belt of four local levels of the district. All those people have been facing food crisis.

Price of essential goods has increased in the district and black marketers have been actively reaping undue benefit of the food crisis.

CDO Gaire said initiative to transport rice to the northern belt was underway.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 22, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.