Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 13

Nearly 243 ration depot holders of the district under the banner of Ration Depot Holder Welfare Society have demanded their commission to be hiked from Rs 48 per quintal to Rs 200 per quintal.

President of the society Darshan Lal Bhasin said the commission that they were getting was far too low as compared to the expenses they were incurring on account of deployment of labour and availing of transport facilities. He said they were incurring huge losses in this work and were not able to make their two ends meet. The ration holders also said they had not received any commission for the past over six months.

Comparing the commission in Punjab with that of other states, Bhasin said, “Delhi is paying Rs 200 per quintal. The commission is high in all other states with Haryana at Rs 170, Goa at Rs 280, HP at Rs 143, Gujarat at Rs 123 and Maharashtra at Rs 150 in some states, ration holders draw a monthly salary from the government. Tamil Nadu pays Rs 18,000, Kerala pays Rs 15,000 and West Bengal pays Rs 10,000 per month.” The depot holders said they would appreciate if a fixed salary is introduced for them in Punjab too.