Gariaband (National Desk): The effect of the state government’s decision to distribute three months’ ration at once was seen in Ward No. 3 of Gariaband district on Sunday, where a stampede-like situation arose after a huge crowd gathered at the government ration shop. After a long wait, the angry crowd broke the main gate of the shop and forcibly entered inside, due to which many people fell and got injured in the jostling.
This incident is not limited to just one shop. People are facing similar problems daily at many ration centers in the district. The biggest problem is the failure of biometric machines, which are not working properly due to OTP verification, fingerprint matching and server connection.
Local residents say that people start queuing up from 5 am, but most of the people return empty-handed due to server down or fingerprint failure. “Only 20-25 people are able to get ration in a day,” said an elderly woman.
ये हमारे देश की जनता है और ये छत्तीसगढ़ का गरियाबंद है, ऐसे गेट खुलते ही भागने को मजबूर हैं क्योंकि नई मशीन है, 3 महीने का राशन साथ मिलना है एक दिन में बमुश्किल 20-22 लोगों को राशन मिल रहा है pic.twitter.com/t4oCkYracN
— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) June 23, 2025
Crowd and chaos worsened the situation
On Sunday, most of the crowd comprised women, elderly and children. According to salesman Ramesh Nirmalkar, the new machine takes up to 30 minutes to complete the process for each person, as fingerprints have to be scanned repeatedly. He said, “On an average, fingers have to be matched 5-6 times for each beneficiary. The machines are not working properly, this is the main reason for the delay.”
The crowd’s anger erupted when the shop remained closed for a long time, even though the salesmen were present inside. As soon as the gate was broken, people rushed inside and in the stampede, many slipped and fell, though no one was seriously injured.
Administration’s reaction and people’s anger
Soon after the incident, the police reached the spot and controlled the crowd. The district administration issued a statement saying that the matter is being investigated and corrective steps will be taken. However, local people say that this rhetoric is like every time, while no concrete solution is found at the ground level.
Are mere corrective statements enough?
People believe that the system needs extensive reforms in view of the recurring technical problems, inefficiency of machines and limited number of staff. Distributing three months’ ration at once may be a good initiative, but the inability of the system to bear the burden has now become a serious crisis.
People are expecting local public representatives and the administration to provide permanent solutions instead of just giving assurances. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that such incidents will not happen again.
