TURA: The fate of several fair price shops located at Shidakandi, Bowabari, Kandargaon, Morasuti, Phersakandi, New Bhaitbari and Garodubi, all in the plain belt areas of West Garo Hills, against whom various irregularities have been alleged by All Meghalaya Minority Students’ Union (AMMSU) will be decided on Tuesday in a public hearing being called to hear public complaints by the SDO of Dadenggre Civil Sub-Division at New Bhaitbari.
The decision to hold the public hearing came after a delegation from the AMMSU met the SDO of the Dadenggre Civil Sub- Division on October 31 and apprised him of the matter.
Over the past couple of weeks there have been accusations and counter accusations made against each other by the leaders of the AMMSU and the dealers of the said fair price shops with both groups refuting each other’s claims.
While the AMMSU has claimed various irregularities in the distribution of PDS goods in the said fair price shops where beneficiaries allegedly get less than the allotted quota once in every three months instead of every month, the fair price shop dealers had rubbished the claims of the union and even went to the extent of alleging that AMMSU leaders had earlier applied for PDS dealership and the move by it against them was an act of revenge after they failed to get appointed.
According to AMMSU, it took up the matter after repeated request by beneficiaries to dealers for proper distribution failed to evoke a response and frustrated beneficiaries had appealed to it to pursue the matter.
“After we were asked by the affected people we wanted to bring legal justice to them. And with this in mind, a general public meeting was called on October 28 which for obvious reasons, none of the dealers attended,” President of AMMSU, Nur Islam said.
On allegations against AMMSU leaders that they themselves had applied for PDS licenses, Islam said that the claim was baseless as they never demanded the cancellation of their licenses but merely wanted proper distribution of PDS goods to the beneficiaries.
The AMMSU downplayed the claim by dealers that PVC existed in each and every distribution centre alleging that they were only in name as its members were people who were close to the dealers. With regard to the toll free complaint number-1967 for customers’ complaints, the union said that it was of no use as they were directed to approach the concerned authority on calling the number.
The AMMSU also termed as ‘complete false statement’ the claim by the dealers that they were sometimes forced to delay the lifting as well as distribution of commodities due to technical glitches.
“The statement is completely false and made merely for their safety. We know that even if allotment is delayed, the stock should be in correct figures eventually. So why are beneficiaries not getting the balanced amount of food grains and why so many questions are being raised by the genuine beneficiaries,” it said.