Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 18: Fair Price Shops (FPS) dealers today staged a protest demonstration, both in Jammu as well as Srinagar, in support of their demands including release of their pending wages and enhancement of commission.
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“FCS&CA Department J&K UT is not implementing all the norms and guidelines of NFSA in every respect which has been issued by the Central Government from time to time,” PFS dealers said while staging a protest outside Press Club, Jammu. The protest was held under the aegis of All J&K FPS Dealers’ Association.
The protesting dealers sought enhancement of commission margins by Rs 250 per quintal for all categories, issuance of J&K FPS dealers commission margins on monthly basis from FCS&CA Department instead of yearly or half yearly basis, release of all pending NFSA & PMGKAY rice/pulses as well as commission margins/carriage charges in favour of FPS dealers and issuance of POS service charges to them.
The agitating dealers also demanded handling wastage charges at the rate of 1 kg per quintal, review of loading/unloading rates of labours as per new Central Government wages rates, ban on packing of food grains in B class second-hand gunny bags through rice mills/FCI godowns, supply of LPG domestic cylinders through the network of FPS dealers and supply of some essential items like pulses and edible oil through fair price shops.
They requested Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to look into the matter on priority basis and issue the orders to redress their demands so that poor FPS dealers may get some relief, otherwise they have to resort to indefinite hunger strike.
Meanwhile, in Srinagar also, the FPS dealers assembled in Partap Park near Press Enclave and protested against the Government for the delay in releasing their wages. They said that despite the Government’s unambiguous directives to provide wages on a monthly basis, dealers in J&K had not received their wages for the past two and a half years.
The dealers vowed to go on a hunger strike starting after August 15 if their demands are not fulfilled. “We would march from Ram Lila Miadam to Parliament House and go on a hunger strike after 15th August,” they said.
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