HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to submit before it a comprehensive report on the steps taken to provide essentials to below poverty line (BPL) families in view of the lockdown.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed this order through a video conference in a PIL taken up based on a letter addressed to the Chief Justice by social activist SQ Masood. The petitioner has sought the court directions to the authorities concerned to provide essential food supplies to even those who are not ration card holders.
Masood, in his letter, said the Telangana government has cancelled a huge number of white ration cards across the State depriving BPL families of essential food items while the officials have been insisting on rations cards to hand out 12-kg rice and other essentials to the poor. The arbitrary cancellation of ration cards without any notice to the beneficiaries has badly affected the BPL families, the petitioner said. He sought court directions to the government to ensure universal public distribution system in the State.
During the course of the hearing, State Advocate General BS Prasad informed the court that there were other PILs with similar pleas pending before the court. The officials of various departments have already been directed to send details on the issue, he added and sought some time to file a report in the case.
The bench questioned as to why the government officials were insisting on ration cards to distribute essentials to the poor. Directing the registry to tag the present case with other similar PILs, the bench posted the matter to May 8 for further hearing.