Three yrs on, 9,352 depot holders await commission

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 27

As many as 9,352 depot holders of the district have not been paid commission since January. They have also been waiting for enhanced commission since September 2013.

They said Rs 115 crore was pending with the government.

During a state-level function held at the NDRI to motivate depot holders to go in for the online sale of ration under the public distribution system on September 6, in which Minister of State for Food and Supplies Karandev Kamboj was the chief guest, Dharampal, president of the Depot Holders’ Association, had raised the issue of non-payment of commission. Besides, they demanded a survey of the BPL beneficiaries and new ration cardholders, which had not been made for 12 years in the state.

Reacting to their demands, Kamboj had assured them that they would be paid their dues and also announced to give a commission of Rs 70 on the sale of per quintal food grain. “Besides, he had also assured to link depot holders with other services like depositing electricity bills, water bills, distribution of pension and others, so that their income could be increased, but no action had been taken so far,” said Dharampal, state president Depot Holders’s Association.

They personally approached the minister again in Chandigarh in October and were assured that they would be paid half of their dues before Diwali and the remaining half by February, but the depot holders had not received anything yet, he said.

After a meeting of the association held at Sonepat recently, they demanded time for a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, but to no avail, the state president said. Earlier, they were getting Rs 48 on the sale of one quintal of food grain, but the previous government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda had announced to enhance the commission to Rs 70 in September 2013, he said. Despite several attempts, Kamboj could not be contacted.