Rolpa, May 5:

The families of people displaced during the conflict here are facing starvation due to lack of foodstuff. Though they were provided ration cards nearly a month ago, they are yet to get foodstuff.

The World Food Programme, Save the Children and USAID had allotted 32 tonnes of rice and five tonnes of pulses for the displaced people in the district, but the food items have not been supplied to the district yet, the Rolpa chapter of Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) said. The NRCS had distributed ration cards to 1,514 persons of 243 households last month.

The food was originally scheduled to be distributed from April 21. Bal Bahadur Gharti of the NRCS Rolpa said they were not certain when the food items would reach the district. He said the food would be distributed to the displaced people immediately after it reaches the district. It was planned to distribute 21 kg of rice and 4 kg of pulses to each displaced person. The ration was supposed to support him or her for 61 days.

Fifty families of displaced people from Mirul VDC returned home empty-handed after they could not get the food. On April 21, 80 displaced families of Sulichaur VDC who were waiting for food distribution but returned empty-handed.