Soru rural municipality facing food shortage

MUGU, June 15: All villages in Soru Rural Municipality are reeling under an extreme shortage of rice. Flooding and landslides some nine months ago destroyed crops in the villages creating a scarcity of food items, said local people. 

People of the villages are starving without food, said Singha Bahadur Dhami, chairperson of the Soru Rural Municipality. Kamala Nepali of Bhie village on Wednesday reached Sorukot depot by walking four hours to purchase subsidised rice.

 "I am short of food grains at home. So, I have come here to receive rice. The villagers are starving," she said. 

Many people from eight villages of the rural municipality have reached the depot to purchase subsidised rice. However, they could not get the required quantity of rice as the depot is also running short. "I, with an empty stomach, came here to get rice. I found it difficult to even get a packet of rice," said Panmati Dagar of Bhie village. 

The annual quota of subsidised rice for the depot is 1,500 quintals. The quota for the depot is not enough to meet the increasing demand for subsidised rice, said Pushkar Bham, chief of the Food Management and Trading Company Limited, Mugu. "We are effortful to increase the quota," he said.