Indignant at a recent bomb threat at the residence of one of their colleagues by miscreants suspected to be militants, the employees of Manipur Consume Affair, Food and Public Distribution (CAF&PD) today staged a sit-in-protest at their office premises in Imphal’s Sangaiporou.
The agitated employees also suspended their duties for the day which adversely affected the normal distribution of PDS items, particularly allocation of rice to the agents of National Food Security Act (NFSA). The protest was staged under the aegis of the CAF and PD Employees’ Union who alleged that the working atmosphere was severely disturbed in the department owing to the bomb threat at the residence of their colleague.
Some unknown miscreants deposited a Chinese hand grenade on November 15 at the residence of Khuraijam Nabakanta Singh, OSD (rice) CAF and PD, at Kongba Kshetri Leikai under Irilbung police station of Imphal East district. The bomb was safely defused by the police bomb detection and disposal squad and disposed off later.
Talking to reporters at the protest site, the union’s general secretary K Romen alleged that the bomb threat was not the first time employees of the department were targeted by suspected militants. He said the recent bomb threat was amid employees working with stress and tension owing the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure delivery of the PDS items to the beneficiaries.
“Threatening employees in such a crucial time of the pandemic is unfortunate. We would like to appeal to all concerned not to indulge in such kind of threat at least during this bad time of pandemic,” he said.
CAF&PD department is the nodal department responsible for the distribution of PDS items including rice at subsidised rate under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
NNN