By Prem Raj Simkhada, Kalikot, June 9: Crowd of people desperate to buy concessional food grains have overwhelmed the sales depot of Food Management and Trading Company Limited located here at the district headquarters Manma.

People have thronged after the depot started last Sunday to sale food grains with 20 per cent discount as per the government announcement in the budget speech that the food items and daily essentials would be sold at 20 per cent concessions by the state-owned trading enterprises during the corona period.

The FMTC Kalikot branch will continue selling rice till June 13. The depot is selling steamed small grain rice at Rs. 1,320 and the big grain rice at Rs. 950 per sack, after deducting the price by 20 per cent.

Ram Sharan Lamichhange, chief of FMTC Kalikot section, said that crowd of people willing to buy rice on discounted price has increased and expressed fear that the crowd could be spreader of the novel corona virus in the district. People are coming to the district headquarters from the far-flung villages to buy the rice.

The depot has fixed rice selling time from 6 to 9 am in the morning, but the people keep making crowd throughout the day making the staff of the depot complain for having no time even for lunch.

Prohibitory order has been enforced in the district for the last four weeks in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A client at FMTC, Jay Karki of Khandachakra Municipality-7, complained that he stood in the line since early in the morning but could not get the rice and had his name enlisted for the next day.

"As I was waiting for my turn standing in the queue, period fixed for sale was over. They closed the door. And we told the officers there and they enlisted my name for tomorrow. They have told me and other people to come tomorrow morning to buy the rice," said Karki.