Ration dealers take up cudgel against Telangana govt

Karimnagar: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who used the services of ration dealers at the time of separate Telangana movement, was neglecting them after achieving separate statehood for Telangana, alleged representative of the Ration Dealers’ Union Rodda Srinivas.

As part of the call given by the State committee for Statewide bandh of ration shops from July 1 and in protest against the government, the ration dealers staged a dharna half naked here in front of the Collectorate in Karimnagar on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, Rodda Srinivas alleged that government was behaving stubbornly towards ration shop dealers who were striving hard for the implementation of the government scheme Rs 1 per kg rice along with distributing other commodities meant for the poor.

He said that a ration dealer would be getting only 20 paisa from each card holder and Rs 10 for each rice bag. Thus, a ration dealer earned only Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per month, he said and questioned the government how a ration dealer could survive with such less amount of income.

He demanded that the government fix certain amount as a honorarium to every ration dealer and increase commission apart from releasing the pending bills immediately. He warned the government that they would go to any extent against the government until the justice was done to them.

Telangana Jana Samithi leaders Nara Hari, Jagga Reddy, Keshava Reddy, Mahipal Reddy, M Ramesh, Congress leader A Mohan and BJP leader Naga Raju extended their support to the ration dealers and participated in the dharna.