The Civil Supplies squad has charged 31 ration dealers with violating various provisions of the Kerala Rationing Order.
The squad found irregularities in procurement, retailing, and maintenance of sales records. The search was conducted with the support of Taluk Supply Officers and Rationing Inspectors. Most of the dealers had not maintained proper sales records and details about the stock.
Official sources said the search was conducted in view of the approaching Onam season and following a tip-off about hoarding, black marketering and unlawful retailing of ration stock. There were also allegations that the dealers were trying to black-market the ration articles to private traders. Of the 77 irregularities detected, 42 were reported on the part of ration dealers, they said.
The Civil Supplies Department would conduct flash search at more ration shops and other retail outlets to ensure that the merchants complied with the standing rationing order. The District Supply Officer would head the search, which will continue till the end of Onam season.
Along with the ration shops, hotels and restaurants too would be covered in the flash inspections. In a search recently, some hotel entrepreneurs had been pulled up for not displaying the price list of food items and the details of trade licences they had obtained from the local self-government institutions concerned.
On the other hand, the district leaders of the Kerala State Retail Ration Dealers Association, who expressed strong protest against the checking process, said they would keep away from supporting the Kerala government’s move to renew old ration cards.
