Essential goods to the tune of Rs.4.5 lakh were damaged after the Supplyco’s Onam People’s Bazaar at the Putharikandam grounds was flooded on Friday, following incessant overnight rain.
The damage was noticed when Supplyco staff came to open the stall around 9 a.m. on Friday. The ground was flooded, with the water entering the massive tent as well. Goods stored in the rear of the tent were partially submerged. The goods were stored on a mere tarpaulin spread on the ground.
According to Saramma Mathew, regional manager, Supplyco, Thiruvananthapuram, provisions to the tune of over Rs.4.5 lakh were damaged.
These included around 25 bags (all weighing 50 kg each) of different varieties of rice, estimated at Rs.1 lakh; 33 bags of jaggery; 15 bags of sugar; and several bags of assorted goods including dal, gram, and so on.
The staff toiled for over three hours to shift the remaining bags to a safer place, on a raised platform. The counters, shifted away from the waterlogged corner, were opened to the public, who had by then formed long queues, around 12 noon.
Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob and senior department officials inspected the damage. While the department will decide on how to dispose of the damaged provisions, the stocks were being replenished from Supplyco depots in the city.
MLA visits spotV. Sivankutty, MLA, who visited the spot, alleged that it was sheer negligence on the part of the authorities that led to the situation. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had given 20,000 sq ft of space to the Supplyco for the Onam Bazaar. However, the front portion of the Bazaar was given to private individuals to set up their stalls with the Supplyco’s counters relegated to a rear corner of the tent. This smacked of corruption at various levels, he said.
