Bhubaneswar: Former Union minister and Congress member Srikant Kumar Jena on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to visit Mandipanka village in Kandhamal district, where three women died due to alleged mango kernel poisoning, and witness how the tribal people are living in neglect.
“This desperate act occurred due to acute food scarcity in the region and the collapse of the public distribution system (PDS) in the area, where the October-December food grain quota was released on November 2,” Jena wrote, highlighting the deaths.
“A delay of over a month forced families in this impoverished area to consume mango kernels. If the food supplies were released on time, this tragic loss of life could have been avoided,” Jena said. “Chief minister Mohan Majhi is yet to visit the district to assess the situation or provide solace to the affected families,” he added.
Food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra has already informed the assembly that the villagers fell sick and died due to food poisoning, not because of starvation.