More ration depots soon
By Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 21 — With a view to strengthening the existing public distribution system (PDS) in the city, the Depot Allotment Committee of the UT Department of Food and Supplies has decided to allot more ration depots soon.

Though the response to a recent excerise of the committee to allocate more depots has not been encouraging it has allotted three depots in sectors 20, 26 and 28 during last week.

According to sources in the department, the decision to set up more ration depots has been taken following an assessment that the existing PDS network is not sufficient, particularly when there are no depots in some parts of the city.

The committee feels that 240 depots are inadequate in the wake of the swelling population and there should be an addition of at least 40 per cent in the existing number of such fair price shops in the city.

The committee and the department officials are of the opinion that while the number of depots in the city should be increased but the immediate requirement is to set up such shops in those areas which have been devoid of the facility for long.

There are no depots in some thickly populated sectors. "To cater to residents of these areas, we are going to allot nearly 40 more depots," says an officer of the department.

What is disturbing the department is the fact that there is no craze left among traders for acquiring ration depots due to stringent conditons and dwindling profits. To be eligible to be a depot holder, it is mandatory for an applicant to be a matriculate, besides having a karyana shop running on a commercial site.

"People are reluctant to be depot holders these days as unlike in the past, there is not much difference in the prices of commodities sold at depots and those available in the market," says an official. He adds that the department has received three applications against an advertisement inserted by it in newspapers and all the three have been allotted depots.

According to Mr Gopal Dutt, District Food and Supply Officer, the process of allotment of new depots will be undertaken in the first quarter of next month. "An advertisement towards this end will be inserted in newspapers, soon after which the applications will be scrutinised," he says. He adds that depots in colonies will be allotted later.