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Ludhiana: Food supply inspectors begin indefinite strike
Staff seek end to salary recoveries, release of allowances and basic material for handling food grain stocks
Food supply inspectors in Punjab will go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday, protesting what they described as prolonged delays in resolving their service-related issues, including recoveries from salaries, non-payment of allowances and the non-availability of basic material required for handling food grain stocks.
The Inspectorate Food Supply Association (IFSA), Ludhiana, announced the strike after repeated representations to the department failed to yield a resolution. The association has also sought the intervention of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, submitting a memorandum through the Ludhiana deputy commissioner.The inspectors’ main demands include stopping salary recoveries and deductions allegedly being made over delays in submitting documents, release of pending conveyance payments and other allowances, and provision of essential material such as gunny bags and tarpaulins for storage and handling of food grains.
The association said the department had failed to provide such material for the past four years, despite inspectors being responsible for safeguarding government food stocks worth crores of rupees. It also alleged that employees had faced financial and mental harassment over the years.The association said repeated attempts to meet the food and civil supplies minister had failed, with meetings being postponed several times. It said the continued delay had left employees with no option but to strike.The inspectors are involved in operations linked to the Public Distribution System (PDS), procurement, storage and movement of food grains. A prolonged strike could, therefore, affect field-level functioning of the department, including ration distribution and food grain management.
The association said its members had continued working even during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure uninterrupted supply of ration to beneficiaries. It appealed to the chief minister to intervene and direct the department to resolve their demands at the earliest.
The association further demanded the immediate release of pending conveyance payments and other allowances due to staff members. Union representatives stated that employees had continued to discharge their responsibilities even during the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring that ration supplies reached beneficiaries despite difficult working conditions.
Describing the strike as a last resort, the association said the decision was taken after repeated attempts to secure a resolution of the issues failed to produce any outcome. The union appealed to the chief minister to personally intervene, accept what it described as the legitimate demands of employees and direct the department to resolve the matter at the earliest.
The strike is expected to impact routine functioning of the food and civil supplies department, including field-level operations linked to ration distribution and food grain management, if the deadlock continues.
