Thrissur: A ruling front MLA staged a sit-in protest at the Supplyco warehouse at Kombodinjamakkal near Mala in Thrissur on Thursday, alleging prolonged disruption in the supply of essential commodities to ration shops in the Chalakudy region.

Chalakudy MLA Sanish Kumar Joseph of the Congress, accompanied by party workers, entered the warehouse and launched the protest, accusing officials of failing to address repeated complaints over the shortage of stocks reaching ration outlets.

The Kombodinjamakkal warehouse is the main distribution centre supplying ration shops in the Chalakudy area. The MLA alleged that despite several representations, authorities had failed to ensure the timely movement of food grains and other essential items.

He claimed that the disruption in ration distribution had left thousands of beneficiaries, including families in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, returning empty-handed from ration shops without receiving their entitled food grains and other essential commodities.

Joseph also alleged that officials were colluding with contractors to divert and illegally sell food commodities meant for the Public Distribution System (PDS), resulting in corruption worth crores of rupees. He also accused the contractor entrusted with transporting rice and other ration supplies of deploying an inadequate number of vehicles and drivers, severely affecting the movement of stocks from the warehouse to ration shops and worsening the shortage.

The MLA said he had already brought the matter to the attention of the State Food and Civil Supplies Minister and demanded urgent intervention to restore the regular supply of ration items.

The protest triggered a heated exchange between the MLA and Supplyco employees at the warehouse.

The agitation ended after Thrissur District Collector Sikha Surendran reached the spot and held talks with the MLA. The Collector assured him that immediate steps would be taken to resolve the issue, following which the protest was called off.