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West Bengal PDS dealers resume indefinite strike

Kolkata: The West Bengal Joint Forum for PDS (Public Distribution System) Dealers and Distributors resumed its indefinite strike on Monday in protest against the State Government's alleged indifference towards various demands made by the forum.

The forum had suspended its call for an indefinite strike on November 24 last year after State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta reportedly promised to look into the dealers' demands.

Due to the strike, 20,291 fair price shops and 21,028 kerosene shops will remain closed throughout the State, affecting more than 8.5 crore consumers, an official of the Forum said. The mid-day meal scheme under the Sarba Siksha Abhiyan and government relief operations, however, have been exempted from the strike.

“Until the State Government accepts our demands for revising the rates of commission, transportation fee and handling loss on all ration items for all dealers and distributors other than demand for regular supply of quality food grains and prevention of harassment of ration dealers, we will not be able to continue with the distribution system,” Bishwambhar Basu, general secretary of the forum, told The Hindu.

Mr. Basu said that a meeting called by the State Government with the forum members last Friday failed to arrive at a decision on revised rates with the State Government offering lower transportation rates than demanded by the forum.

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