New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) There are around 65,000 holders of fake below poverty line (BPL) ration cards in the capital, the Delhi High Court was informed Wednesday.
The existence of such a large number of fake documents was posing problems in renewing the ration cards of others, the government told the court, adding that it is in the process of verifying every ration card and also cancelling those which are fake.
It said that the whole process took a lot of time, due to which there was a delay in renewing the cards of the other people.
Many petitioners from the capital’s slum areas, including Nangloi, Bawana and Narela, have approached the high court seeking early renewal of their ration cards.
Despite the government’s commitment that everyone will get a ration card, which will indicate if the family belongs to the BPL category, they were not being issued such cards, the petitioners said.
The ration cards of the petitioners were taken back by the government in 2007 for renewal.
According to the Department of Food and Supplies, it takes 45 days to make a new ration card.
The petitioners deposited their ration cards to the department for renewal Nov 23, 2007 and were given acknowledgement slips with which they could buy their rations.
The court had earlier rapped the government for adopting a lackadaisical attitude towards the poor and asked officials to submit a status report on the process before it.
There are 70 wards in Delhi and lakhs of people are running from pillar to post to get their ration card, the petitioners said.
‘The authorities are claiming that huge ration supply is being provided to BPL families but these are all false claims,’ the petitioners allege.
