HYDERABAD: The government has no intention to bow down. With fair price shop dealers threatening to go on a Statewide strike from July 1, the civil supplies department has tied up with women’s self-help groups to ensure a steady supply of provisions. The department has also decided to suspend the licences of protesting dealers immediately. A notice will be issued to dealers who do not make payments at Mee Seva centres and get a release order of commodities before the deadline.
The department will initiate the new plan without any further delay, informed Akun Sabharwal, Telangana State Civil Supplies commissioner. He held a meeting with all the associated officials on Thursday and announced that all measures are being taken up to deal with any upcoming crisis. The commissioner requested all the district officials to make arrangements for the supply of essential commodities from July 5 to the 2.75 crore beneficiaries.
The process of re-organising women’s groups at the district and mandal level has started, said Sabharwal. He informed that the District Rural Development Agencies will train women on maintaining records. Officials will help women organisations who got the ration dealership to make payments at Mee Seva centres by July 1. This should be coordinated with civil supplies, revenue and village development officials at the district and mandal levels, he further said.
A 24/7 control room has been set up to resolve problems and complaints at the civil supplies head office. A toll-free number 1967 and also a WhatsApp number, 73307 74444 -- have been made available for the public to raise their grievances. Joint collectors, RDOs, tahsildars have been given the responsibility to monitor the process in giving dealership responsibilities to women’s groups.
Women’s groups cant pay DDs
Following the orders from State headquarters, various district administrations have started making alternate arrangements.Though officials have given a deadline of June 28 for dealers to submit the DDs at Tahsildar offices for drawing of goods for the month of July, only four ration dealers of total 845 dealers have submitted DDs at the tahsildar’s office in Sangareddy district. Officials said the situation remained same in Siddipet and Medak districts where there are 680 and 521 shops. They have identified 2,046 alternative distribution centres.
District Supplies Officer, M Srinivas said it was not possible for women groups to pay DDs worth lakhs, so the government had decided to release the July stock on credit. Women groups already have experience in purchasing of grains from farmers and there would not be much problem for them to sell the stocks, he added. Measures have been taken to provide two-day training to women at tahsildar’s office. Officials said women groups would not be much problem in distribution. Srinivas said women groups were distributing ration for the first time, so all village revenue officers assistants would provide assistance.
TRS MLA backs dealers:
Meanwhile, In Mancherial district, ruling TRS party’s MLA N.Divakar Rao has extended his support to the ration dealers who are in relay hunger strike outside Tahsildar office for the last two days in Mancherial. He justified their demands. He said that the commission is not remunerative and dealers are unable to run their families, will take steps to provide honorarium. As many as 1,716 dealers are there in erstwhile Adilabad district.