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| Mill monopoly set to go, life may return to SRTC | | |
OVERDUE OVERHAUL
• Supply orders to be distributed fairly among all mill owners by tenders, rate fixing etc
• No hiring of vehicles from any mill
• No CAPD sale outlet to remain dry; first 15 days of every month for stocking, next 15 days for sales
• Half of flour supply to rural areas being replaced with wheat grains on experimental basis
• All government departments/agencies, Army to hire vehicles from SRTC alone; In case of shortage all private hiring via SRTC only
• Process initiated to adjust idle staff of SRTC in MVD, State Motor Garages; 150 already adjusted.
Jammu, Aug 2: The Departments of Consumer Affairs & Public Distributions (popularly known as food and supplies) and Transport have always remained in the eye of storm for a variety of reasons ranging, invariably, from scarcity to pilferage of food grains and from frequent road accidents to slow death of state owned transport corporation. It has all been due to shortsighted policies, lack of follow-up and often succumbing to powerful food and transport lobbies.
Things are, however, up for change if the imminent sabotage at different levels is plugged in and the new conceived policies are followed in letter and spirit. Not only will this restore credibility of two key departments but there is also scope for economic spin-offs for thousands of now marginalised by traditional but traditional dependants on transport and food supplies sectors.
Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution and Transport Qamar Ali Akhoon appears to have put firmly the first step forward but it has to be seen as how many officers in his department rally behind him to break the nexuses running for decades. After having sworn in on July 11, the Minister has affected a slew of measures in 20 days. There are blows for powerful mill owners and transport lobbies as icing on their cakes is being taken away for fair and equal distribution among all those who depend on these sectors.
“My both departments have to heavily depend on the private players, we have to work with but first of all I need to break down the monopolies so that every one has a role to play”, says Akhoon. He pointed out: “mill owners have an inseparable association with CAPD for supplies but their services have also been engaged in hiring transport. This denies opportunity to our own transport corporation and other transporters; it promotes interest of selected mill owners and gives way to pilferage also”. Therefore, the Minister says, decision has been taken and orders have been passed that no vehicle of any mill own shall be used for any purpose for the CAPD.
Another move to break the monopoly is to engage as many mills as available across Jammu and Kashmir. “It is surprising to note that supplies have hitherto been procured from two mills only, this rendered around 40 mills in Kashmir and almost as many in Jammu out of trade”, says Akhoon and adds, “our role is to ensure equal distribution of opportunities and resources and not promote specific lobbies”. The Minister says that decision in this connection has already been taken and meeting of mill owners shall be convened soon to decide rates and find out their capacities.
Akhoon admitted that there is shortage of foodgrains and asserted that efforts are afoot to mop it up. He said, the matter was discussed with the Chief Minister who has taken it up with the Prime Minister and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for additional supply of 20,000 Metric Tonnes food grain. “Though we are strongly pushing for additional supply but even the existing supply is not too bad, the only need is to streamline the system”, said Akhoon. Department has been told to stock food grains at all outlets across the state within one week with report to the government on availabilities and shortages, whatever. The Minister informed that a new system of supply and sales has been worked out in which food grains in which outlets have been advised to use first 15 days of a month in stocking and the next half in sales.
Another decision with far reaching benefits, particularly for the rural consumers and water based grinding mill owners, the CAPD has decided to cut down the flour supply to all districts (except Jammu and Srinagar) to half and replaced it with wheat grains. “Supply of wheat instead of flour shall service twin purposes”, says Akhoon as he elaborates: “freshly grinded flour is better in taste and consumers have the option of getting it grinded as much as they need. This will restore livelihood resources of the traditional grinders who gut pushed to the verge of poverty in the recent past”. The Minister, however, clarified that that system is purely on experimental basis and public feedback shall be taken into account for further decision.
In transport sector, the most significant step proposed is to revise the dying state owned J&K State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) which is incurring a monthly loss of Rs Three Crores. There are a slew of measures for streaming the SRTC and steps are being taken on all fronts –bringing the corporation out of financial mess, making it profitable and paying the employees their dues in time.
The first important step, the Akhoon says, “is to use the SRTC vehicles in all affairs where government has anything to do”. He pointed out that SRTC is being made nodal agency for hiring transport and if it does not have the sufficient vehicles to meet any particular demand, the hiring shall be routed through SRTC and not directly from the private transporters. “Army has always been asked at highest level to hire transport from SRTC and directions have been issued to the government departments, particularly CAPD, for no direct hiring. “This will improve financial condition of SRTC even as we are adding more fleets to reach profitability.
Since the SRTC, Garages department and MVD come under the Transport department, efforts are being made to make internal adjustments so as the staff shortfall in one department is made up from the idle workforce in the other. “Recently 100 jobless employees of the SRTC have been adjusted in the Motor Vehicles Department and similarly 50 vacancies on the State Motor Garages were filled up from the idle workforce of SRTC.
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