Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Golay chaired a high-level meeting at Samman Bhawan in Gangtok on Monday to take stock of the relief materials being distributed by the concerned authorities and also to check the law and order situation in the State amid COVID-19 lockdown.
During the meeting, the chief minister gave clear instructions to the concerned departments for delivering the relief materials to the beneficiaries, instructing them to make sure that commodities like rice reach them within the next 48 hours.
He urged MLAs to make sure that there was a swift transfer of relief materials from the godowns to the fair price shops and ordered for the immediate disbursement of relief materials without fail.
Secretary of Food and Civil Supplies Department apprised on the stock of food commodities available in the State.
He also apprised about the transport issues which has been a hurdle in the timely receipt and distribution of the relief materials.
The chief minister advised the concerned authorities to distribute the relief materials through the tokens issued by the district collectors and not directly through trucks to avoid overcrowding as this may defeat the purpose of social distancing.
Director general of Sikkim Police assured necessary assistance for the smooth flow of these materials to the State and informed about the steps taken to seal entry points to the State using wired fences to stop the illegal flow of people into the State from neighboring areas.
Chief secretary informed about the online portal which will be launched soon where one can apply for permit/vehicle passes in case of an emergency.
This was done to decrease the gathering of people and provide an efficient way for people to apply for permits.