Millers allege pick & choose in allowing minimum persons for their operations

We relied upon list submitted by Asso: Secy FCS&CA
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 27: Though Government has allowed operation of certain flour mills to ensure smooth supply of Atta during the ongoing period of lockdown yet the situation has been exploited by some office bearers of Flour Mills Association by projecting requirement of more persons in respect of their establishments as compared to the mills owned by other persons.
In order to ensure no disruption in supply of Atta during the ongoing period of lockdown, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs approached the Flour Mills Association of Jammu and Kashmir and sought list of mills along with minimum persons required to ensure their smooth operation.
Accordingly, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs passed instructions to the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and Rajouri to pass instructions to the field functionaries to allow the identified mills to operate smoothly.
Moreover, the owners of these mills were asked to obtain passes for operation with minimal staff from the concerned authorities.
However, a number of flour mill owners told EXCELSIOR on telephone that pick and choose policy was adopted by the office bearers of the Association while projecting the requirement of minimum staff for operating the flour mills.
Quoting some examples, they said that in respect of Nav Bharat Flour Mills Bari Brahamana, KK Roller Flour Mills Bari Brahmana, Janata Roller Flour Mill Gangyal and Shree Vaishno Flour Mills Bari Brahmana, minimum requirement of 100, 40 and 30 persons respectively has been projected while as all other mills mentioned in the list have been allowed not more than 25 persons.
“The office bearers of the Association have resorted to pick and choose policy while recommending minimum requirement of flour mills”, they said.
When contacted, Secretary to Government, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department Simrandeep Singh said, “we only relied upon the list submitted by the Association and keeping in view the prevailing situation it was not possible for the department to visit each and every four mill to verify the requirement of minimum persons to operate the mills”.

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