Limited stock of dhotis for Pongal hamper at PDS shops in Nellai, Dindigul

A section of ration card holders in several parts of Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts alleged that they were not provided with the free dhotis and sarees promised for Pongal, whereas in Dindigul the PDS shops are left with just half stocks required for distribution.

- THINAKARAN RAJAMANI/MP SARAVANAN @Tirunelveli/Dindigul

While blackboards displaying messages indicating lack of stock have been put up at the ration shops in Tirunelveli's Udayarpatti and Thirugnanasambanthar Street, ration card holders urged the authorities concerned to prioritise the distribution.

"Officials should prioritise distributing dhotis and sarees to elderly and impoverished people instead of using the token system," said A Manohar, a ration card holder in Tirunelveli.

Another beneficiary claimed that she had not received clothes for the second consecutive year in Tirunelveli. "Last year, the ration shop staff promised I would get them after Pongal, but I never did," she said.