Silchar, Nov. 26: Assam minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs Rihon Daimary has directed officials to weed out bogus ration card-holders in Hailakandi district within 30 days.

The minister yesterday held a high-level meeting with senior officials and elected representatives of the district to review the activities of the department.

He asked officials to strike off the names of people possessing fake ration cards under the National Food Security Act.

He said officials must make the people in possession of bogus ration cards to surrender within a stipulated timeframe, failing which legal recourse would be taken. "The rice is meant for the poor and not for the rich. According to the food security act, only those with an annual income below Rs 1 lakh are entitled to get rice. Those who do not fulfil the criteria must be weeded out," he said.

The officials informed the minister that over 26,000 bogus rations cards had been terminated in the past few months.

Wholesalers and retailers have been directed to keep prices under check and to display the quantity and price of each item on display boards, failing which action would be taken against them.

Exhorting the shopkeepers to supply essential commodities at reasonable prices, Daimary warned that stringent action would be taken against those resorting to artificial hoarding with the ulterior motive of making more money.

He also asked the district administration to cancel the licences of inoperative hawkers.

Hailakandi town has over 849 hawkers.

The officials of legal meteorology department were asked to make random visits to shops, oil depots, gas agencies, markets and tea gardens to check the accuracy of the weights and measures equipment.

The minister also held a meeting late last evening with officials of the public health engineering department and directed them to operationalise all water supply schemes.

Of the 312 schemes, 85 are functioning and the rest are inoperative.

He also took stock of the progress of the World Bank-aided mega water supply project at Chandipur in Algapur constituency of Hailakandi district.

Earlier, he inspected the site and urged officials to expedite work on a war-footing in the remaining working season for completion of the project.

World Bank has provided over Rs 10 crore for the project that will cover 233 habitations with a population of 83,176.

Daimary said that he would visit Hailakandi again in February to review the status of projects and make inspection at the ground level.