GADAG: The residents of Shigli village, Lakshmeshwar taluk, are afraid to eat their staple of rice and dal, after reports that nearly 20 locals have fallen ill and are complaining of stomach ache for the past five days.
Locals of Shigli, 47 km from Gadag town, have demanded an investigation into the quality of rice distributed by Public Distribution Shops (PDS). Officials visited the village and found that the rice contains toxic elements like plastic, and have sent it for examination.
This is the first such instance for locals here, who have otherwise been getting good quality rice. The villagers are now forced to buy rice from regular shops, but many who cannot afford it are avoiding eating rice altogether.
Nagappa, a resident of Gurubasappa Nagar, told The New Indian Express, "We don’t know what type of rice this is, but we are getting stomach pain after eating the rice, so we stopped having it for at least five days. We took up the issue with district officials, who have sent samples for testing. We are waiting for the report."
Other villagers chimed in and said, "We know we can buy rice from other shops but when the government is providing it to us through PDS shops, why should we spend money on rice which is so costly these days?"
Gadag District Surveillance Officer Jagadish Nuchchin noted, "This is not plastic rice. We are waiting for the test report and everything will be known after the test. Villagers need not have to worry as we have informed officials to do the needful."