Gariaband, Chhattisgarh:
Chaos erupted at a government ration shop in Ward Number 3 of Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday after a long wait and mounting frustration turned into an angry outburst. The crowd, waiting for hours for their monthly food grains, broke open the main gate of the shop, triggering a stampede-like situation.
Following a government decision to distribute three months’ ration in one go, beneficiaries have been crowding ration centres across the district. But recurring technical glitches and inadequate arrangements have led to severe mismanagement at many outlets.
On Sunday, the situation escalated when the shop remained closed for hours despite the presence of the salesman inside. As tempers flared, the waiting crowd – mostly women, elderly, and children – forced open the locked iron gate. As people rushed in, several individuals were pushed to the ground, resulting in minor injuries.
ये हमारे देश की जनता है और ये छत्तीसगढ़ का गरियाबंद है, ऐसे गेट खुलते ही भागने को मजबूर हैं क्योंकि नई मशीन है, 3 महीने का राशन साथ मिलना है एक दिन में बमुश्किल 20-22 लोगों को राशन मिल रहा है pic.twitter.com/t4oCkYracN
— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) June 23, 2025
Local residents say this isn’t the first time such chaos has unfolded. For days, people have been lining up early in the morning but returning empty-handed due to technical failures.
“The biggest issues are failure in OTP verification, fingerprint mismatches, and repeated server outages,” said a local resident. “Only 20 to 25 people are getting their ration in a day.”
Salesman Ramesh Nirmalkar, who was present during the incident, blamed the new biometric machine for the delays. “It takes three attempts for OTP and five to six fingerprint scans for each person. Sometimes it takes more than 30 minutes to process one beneficiary,” he said.
Police reached the scene shortly after the chaos began and brought the situation under control. However, similar problems persist at several ration centres in the district.
Meanwhile, the local administration has issued a standard response, promising to “look into the matter and take corrective action.” But growing public anger and repeated disruptions hint that temporary measures may no longer be enough.
