As many as 76 Public Distribution System (PDS) retailers of the city have been removed by the Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department to pave path for the SHGs to take over their jobs.
The Government’s decision has left the retailers aggrieved and they are planning to move the Orissa High Court, said sources.
The department had asked the retailers to deposit the requisite amounts for renewal of the dealership for another year. Accordingly, the dealers deposited the amounts, but two days later, the Government took the decision to axe them. The first question is if the department has an agenda to axe certain retailers then why it accepted the renewal fees from them. How far would it be justiceable to engage the SHGs leaving the 76 dealers and their families in starvation? The dealers have also staged protests in front of the Civil Supplies office here.
Source said the department has set a benchmark that if on an average 75% consumers are not taking the PDS materials from a retailer then they would be not allowed for renewal of dealership and, accordingly, the instruction was passed to the district administration and the CSO. But here the administration has enhanced the benchmark to 85% unilaterally.
Besides this, there are certain dealers who have more than 90% but are axed and certain SHG dealers are already there whose average is hardly 45% to 50%, but they are not replaced. Despite this, the authorities are adamant to engage more SHGs. From this, the ill intention of the administration and political conspiracy are apparent, allege the retailers’ association. Against this alleged unethical decision of the authorities, they would legally fight the issue, said the sources.
It may be noted that a total of 2,597 retailers have been axed in the State so far.