The Delhi High Court observed that the ration cards are issued specifically for obtaining essential commodities from shops under the Public Distribution System and it cannot be used as proof of address or residence. The observation came while the court was hearinga plea seeking alternative housing units in lieu of slums.
A bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that no mechanism has been put in place by the ration card issuing authority to ensure that the cardholder is residing at the place mentioned in the card.
The court said that the objective of the ration card is to ensure that food grains are made available to the citizens of this country at reasonable prices and its scope is limited to the distribution of food items through the public distribution system. The court made the above observation while hearing petitions filed by various slum dwellers living in Kathputli Colony seeking alternative housing units in lieu of their respective slums.
"As per the definition of the Ration Card, the intent of issuing the same is that it aims to distribute the essential food items by way of the fair price shops. Therefore, it does not amount to becoming an identity proof of residence for any Ration Card holder," said the court in a recent order.
"There is no mechanism set up by the authority issuing Ration Cards to ensure that the holder of the ration card is staying at the address mentioned in the ration card. The aim of the ration card is to ensure that the citizens of this country are provided food grains at a reasonable price. Hence, it is not a reliable source of proof of address since the scope is limited to distribution of food items by way of the Public Distribution System," it observed.
Earlier in 2010, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) conducted a survey and submitted documents to its officials, after which it started the re-development of Kathputli Colony on a public-private partnership basis. A policy was made in the year 2014 for the rehabilitation of the colonists and the last date was fixed as January 1, 2015.
TAGS: Delhi High Court ration cards proof of residence public distribution system slum dwellers Kathputli Colony
