COIMBATORE: Supervisors of ration shops are frustrated as it takes about 15 minutes to clear one ration card when using the new Bluetooth-enabled scaling machine in shops. They say that their workload has increased after the Bluetooth-enabled machine was introduced.
A supervisor working at Gandhipuram in Coimbatore, who did not wish to be named, said, "To distribute exact quantities of ration goods, a Bluetooth-enabled scaling machine system was introduced by the revenue department. In this system, the PoS machine requires exact measurements and would not approve if there is even the slightest variation in weight. If the weight is not exact, the scale will not complete the bill."
"The concern is that newer buildings constructed for ration shops are separated into two rooms; one for handling the PoS machine (PoS) and another room for weighing ration goods. As many ration shops do not have packers, the supervisor has to complete billing as well as the distribution of goods. Therefore, the supervisor has to juggle this while also ensuring to scale the correct weight is scaled. Due to this, it almost takes 15 minutes to clear one bill," he added.
He further said that the supervisor has to stand in the goods supply room even if a packer is there, with the PoS machine.
G Rajendran, president of Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Employees Association, said, "In urban areas, if a shop has more than 1,500 cards, a packer will be appointed. In panchayats, however, there should be over 2,000 cards for a packer to be assigned. Supervisors have to do all tasks. The PoS machines handed over are also frequently facing connectivity issues. This puts supervisors under pressure to clear cards."
He urged the cooperative and revenue department to resolve connectivity issues and ensure access to PoS and scaling machines in a single room rather than separate rooms.
An official from the cooperative department said, "Some shops still face connectivity issues, but this has been solved in many places. It is mandatory to match the weight of goods and clear out billing through the Bluetooth-enabled device. If supervisors are having connectivity issues, they can raise the matter with the area engineer."