From Our Correspondent
TURA, Oct 13: Chaos has gripped the Public Distribution System (PDS) over unpaid dues pending for the past few months by contractors tasked with loading and unloading work at the Mendipathar Rake Point in North Garo Hills.
For the past two years, the Mendipathar Railway Station has served as the nodal point for the arrival of rice into the state under the PDS.
The loading and unloading work for the distribution of rice to four districts has been entrusted to two contractors, who have allegedly been withdrawing bills from the railways office but have only intermittently released payments to truck drivers, owners and labourers.
The two contractors involved are identified as Mahipal Yadav (operating under the name of Arjun Nongrum) and Abhijeet Dutta of RS Contractors. Yadav is responsible for West Khasi Hills and West Garo Hills, while Dutta handles East and South Garo Hills.
Earlier, a civil society organisation (CSO) from the region, Achik Dedicated Integrity Leaders (ADIL), raised the issue of unpaid dues with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and central authorities, seeking an end to the crisis that has affected various FCI godowns over pending bills.
Currently, there is an ongoing labour strike across West Garo Hills, East Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills, which has disrupted the distribution of rice to various locations.
“What is exasperating is that they are claiming that their bills are not being cleared whereas official sources have confirmed that the money has already been paid to them. This matter needs to be fully investigated as we feel something shady is going on, which is why they are still being allowed to carry on the contract without flinching. In fact, both the contractors are not even present in Mendipathar when rakes loaded with rice arrive,” said ADIL president, Francis Marak.
Earlier, the issue was also raised by a group of PDS wholesalers with the deputy commissioners of the four affected districts. In their complaint, the wholesalers highlighted their difficulties due to ongoing disputes between carriage contractors and labourers or truckers, which have disrupted their distribution operations.
According to sources, labourers have repeatedly gone on strike over unpaid wages and poor treatment at the hands of the contractors.
“Instead of addressing these grievances in time, the matter is allowed to escalate repeatedly, causing endless trouble for all dependents, particularly the wholesalers and the public,” said a wholesaler.
The wholesalers stated that every time labourers go on strike, their trucks, which reach Mendipathar to receive goods, remain stranded for two to three days, resulting in heavy financial losses. With the railway management maintaining complete silence over the disruptions, the situation is spiralling out of control.
“It is important to point out that the carriage contractor, being entrusted with the responsibility of labour and transportation management, has consistently failed to discharge his duties properly. Instead of ensuring smooth functioning, his inability to resolve issues with labourers has created a cycle of disputes, strikes, and disruptions,” they added.
The wholesalers have sought immediate action against the carriage contractor for failing to fulfil his responsibilities. They also urged the authorities to issue directions to ensure uninterrupted loading and unloading of PDS rice, even if alternative arrangements need to be made.
They further demanded the creation of a mechanism to safeguard wholesalers from recurring financial losses arising from the negligence of the carriage contractor and called for steps to ensure that such disputes do not reoccur, as the PDS is an essential service that cannot be left at the mercy of individual contractors.
