Erode: Hill hamlet dwellers travel 100 km to buy rations

Erode: In this age of e-governance and so on, can you believe that about 58 out of 77 families holding ration cards in Kathiramalai hill hamlet under Andhiyur taluk in Erode district, need to travel 100-km to a PDS shop to buy their rations? This may seem incredulous, but many of these families say they continue to put up with this unbearable physical hardship, as a ration shop is not located near their hill village in the forest area bordering Andhiyur in Erode district. Responding to their plight, Erode district supply officer, C Jayaraman, told DC on Saturday that steps were being taken to reach the essential articles under PDS to the Kathirimalai hill hamlet dwellers at the nearest feasible point within the Erode district borders itself. The district collector has instructed that for now the ration articles could be carted in a mini-van for the Kathirimalai villagers and distributed at a designated place near the foothill, he said, adding, soon, they will take steps to have a PDS shop near Kathirimalai hamlet itself.