The Ambattur Civil Supplies Assistant Commissioner’s office, which has been functioning in a dingy building on Old MTH Road is likely to be shifted to new premises shortly. But the public has no clue about when it will happen. At present the office is functioning from a cramped dilapidated building in Venkatapuram, Ambattur. The narrow corridor of the office is thronged by residents either to apply for new cards or enquire about the status of their applications. Not receiving proper replies from the staff and lack of awareness of related issues further compounds their misery.
Large number of visitors
At least 300 visitors who queue up at the office everyday have to wait in the narrow corridor to get applications and senior citizens find it difficult to climb the steep staircase to reach the office.
The office has been functioning on a rented building for many years. Apart from residents of Ambattur zone, those from Adayalampattu, Thiruverkadu, Vanagaram, Nolambur and Maduravoyal had to frequent this office for the issues related to the ration card. .
This office now handles over two lakh cards, where people get their supplies from 141 shops. Officials of Civil Supplies Department said that the office will be housed in a spacious new building, expectantly from September 2011. Construction of a new office for the Assistant Commissioner of Civil Supplies and his support staff was expected to be over by August 2011.
Undue delay
According to several elected representatives of Chennai Corporation, the building’s wing of Public Works Department has already completed the construction work of the new Ambattur Civil Supplies Assistant Commissioner’s office inside the Villivakkam Panchayat Union.
The new office is on the Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road in Ambattur. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 80 lakhs. But the representatives also wonder why there has been an undue delay in opening the doors for the public?
Official sources said that civil work was started in February 2011, electrification and plumbing work are also in the finishing stages. Shortage of building materials slowed down the pace briefly and it was sorted out to complete the project within the schedule frame of time. It may be recalled that during the previous DMK regime, the then Deputy Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, while inaugurating the new premises for Tambaram Civil Supplies Assistant Commissioner office, laid the foundation stone for the Ambattur Civil Supplies Assistant Commissioner's office on November 21, 2010.
In suburbs
According to residents, the new Civil Supplies Assistant Commissioner’s office building is the need of the hour as the number of households has gone up considerably in suburbs in the recent years.
G. Devarajan, an applicant from Adayalampattu, said that residents were bereft of several benefits such as LPG connections, other than subsidised products provided through the public distribution system.
All these years residents have been demanding that the cards be issued within the stipulated time and the office be shifted from the present rented building to a spacious premises.
Residents also expect appointment of adequate number of staff to carry out verification process and other requirements at a fast pace.
