Sarbananda Sonowal directs Supply department to ensure delivery of essential commodities

GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on Tuesday, directed the Supply Department to strengthen the supply chain to ensure smooth delivery of essential commodities during the lockdown period in the state necessitated by novel coronavirus outbreak.

In a meeting with the Supply Department which was also attended by Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs Minister Phani Bhusan Chowdhury and Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, CM Sonowal asked the Supply and Transport Departments to work in unison to strengthen the existing supply chain to make essential food stuff available to the consumers. He also said that since lockdown concept is very new to the State, special care should be taken on the part of both Supply and Transport Department to work synergistically to address any shortfall of supply.

He also asked the Additional Chief Secretary Food and Civil Supply Department Syedain Abbasi to keep a close vigil on the market with his men to identify unscrupulous elements that taking advantage of the situation may indulge in hoarding and create artificial shortages of essential commodities. He also asked the department to have a watch on the market so that prices of essential commodities can be controlled.

He also emphasized on strengthening and pushing forward the supply chain to ensure adequate supply of all essential commodities in every nook and corner of the state. He also asked Additional Chief Secretary Abbasi to hold a meeting with the North East Frontier Railway to streamline the movement of goods trains in the state without any hindrance. He also asked him to draw a road map in the view of the changing demand supply quotient in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Sonowal also gave a direction to the Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna and DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta to have joint video conference with the DCs and SPs on a daily basis to assess ground situation in every district.

Sonowal also maintained that since the entire world is waging a war against an unseen, infectious element, Assam cannot remain aloof from its menace and therefore, urged upon the people of the state to lend their hands to make the lockdown a success. He also maintained that in the absence of standard treatment since social distancing and avoidance of any social gathering are regarded as the golden principle; everybody should remain inside and save the state from the scourge of novel coronavirus infection.

Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs Minister Phani Bhusan Chowdhury, Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, Chief Minister’s Legal Adviser Santanu Bharali, Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahnata, Additional Chief Secretary Food and Civil Supply Department Syedain Abbasi were present in the meeting.

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