No relief to PDS shop owners in use of biometric machines

Nagpur: In a setback to ration shop owners across Maharashtra, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday rejected their plea of extending exemption granted to them from using biometric machines in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
In the last hearing on August 20, the HC granted interim relief to the petitioners by extending their exemption from using the E-POS machines.
The use of biometric while operating E-POS machine was suspended through a government resolution (GR) of March 13 due to coronavirus outbreak and was extended till July 31 by another circular.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation too issued similar directions in this regard on July 30. However, it wasn’t continued thereafter. The petitioners made several representations before the authorities concerned to continue the exemption citing ever increasing cases of Covid-19, which is peaking, but no decision was taken till date.
Petitioner Ration Dukandar Sangh through counsel Firdos Mirza then knocked judiciary’s doors for extending the exemption granted to them due to ever rising Covid-19 cases.
The petitioner prayed for directives to respondents to consider their representations and decide those within stipulated period. They requested for suspension of use of biometric till the government comes out with any decision in this regard.
Principal secretary of state food, civil supplies and consumer protection department and others were made respondents in the case.