The Hindu : National : Ration dealers call off protest

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Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
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Ration dealers call off protest

Special Corespondent

KOLKATA: A day after ration dealers across West Bengal began to surrender en masse their licences, the association representing them on Tuesday decided to call off the move, following an assurance from the State government to address their concerns.

The anxieties stemmed from attacks on ration dealers, their homes and godowns, over the past few weeks in certain parts of the State, particularly in the south, by those alleging malpractices in the public distribution system.

With this, a major crisis looming over the PDS appears to have been averted.

The decision was taken at a meeting attended by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Food and Supplies Minister Paresh Adhikari and representatives of the State’s Modified Ration Dealers Association.

More than 5,500 ration dealers out of 20,372 surrendered their licences on Monday, with the remaining threatening to follow suit.

Mr. Bhattacharjee reportedly assured the association’s representatives that steps would be taken to ensure their security.

“He was sympathetic to our demands and admitted there are certain problems regarding the distribution system which are yet to be resolved,” vice-president of the association, Mukshed Ali, told The Hindu.

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