Taking serious note of starvation deaths despite overflowing Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns, the Supreme Court, on Sunday, asked six drought-prone states to take immediate steps to make closed PDS shops functional within a week. The direction was given by a Bench comprising Justice B N Kirpal and Justice K G Balakrishnan on a petition filed by People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) alleging starvation deaths in Orissa, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Maharshtra, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Arguing for the petitioner, counsel Colin Gonsalves and Aparna Bhat contended that it was tragic that over 50 million tonnes of food grains, as against required buffer stock of 17 million tonnes, were lying in various godowns of FCI across the country and said the non-enforcement of famine code had resulted in starvation deaths. Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General Soli Sorabjee termed it as a "horrendous state of affair" and added there was something radically wrong with the system and sought time from the Court for formulation of a mechanism to provide food to the destitutes. The Court said the priority of the Government should be to provide food to the aged, infirm, disabled, destitutes, pregnant and lactating women who are in danger of starvation in compliance with the famine code.
Bureau Report