HYDERABAD: Pandemonium prevailed at a meeting of the State Ration Dealers’ Association, organised here Wednesday, to seek sops from the State government turned ugly with members indulging in a verbal duel over who should head the body.
Civil Supplies Minister E Rajender, who was to attend the meeting, gave it a miss after he got wind of the spat among the dealers. As soon as the meeting began, dealers, Mallesam, Prasad and others picked up an argument with association president N Raju over who should head the organisation. Thanks to them, hundreds of dealers had to return home disappointed.
Their main demands include payment of a fixed salary of Rs 30,000 per month, instead of a commission and rationalisation of ration cards in case the commission is continued. Currently, some ration dealers have 200 cards and some others have up to 2000. The Central government is planning to give Rs 100 commission per quintal of rice and wants the State to give another Rs 100. “Just five persons spoiled the meeting. Otherwise, the Civil Supplies Minister would have declared sops to us,” rued Raju.
A few ration dealers demanded that the association conduct elections afresh, in the wake of the State division and resolve the leadership issue.