Ludhiana: Margin low, labour cost additional burden, rue ration depot-holders
Roshan Lal, state president of the NFSA Depot Holders’ Welfare Association, says government-appointed contractors receive ₹65 per quintal for delivery of foodgrains but they refuse to ensure offloading of wheat sacks at depots
Ration depot-holders in the city have raised concerns over being “unfairly burdened with hefty labour costs” for unloading wheat sacks despite the state government being responsible for this expenditure. They argue that with already low margins, bearing additional costs for offloading food grains meant for free distribution is placing an undue financial strain on them.
They allege that government-appointed contractors, who are tasked with transporting and delivering wheat to designated locations, refuse to unload the sacks at individual depots, citing accessibility issues in narrow alleys.
Roshan Lal, state president of the NFSA Depot Holders’ Welfare Association, said, “These government-appointed contractors receive ₹65 per quintal for transportation and delivery of foodgrains, yet they refuse to ensure offloading of wheat sacks at depots. This causes significant hardship to depot holders, who are already struggling with meager margins.”
According to central government guidelines, ration depot holders are entitled to a margin of ₹90 per quintal, along with an additional ₹21 per quintal for e-PoS distributions. However, the ₹21 margin has not been provided for years, they say.
“We raised these concerns with food supply officials in a meeting on March 3 but no concrete action has been taken to resolve this issue,” Lal added.
Manjot Singh, a ration depot holder, echoed similar sentiments, stating, “When a truck laden with wheat sacks arrives, we are compelled to pay hefty labour costs out of our own pockets. We pay ₹5 per sack to labourers and with approximately 300 sacks per delivery, this amounts to ₹1,500 with no reimbursement.”
The problem worsens when multiple depots in a single area receive deliveries at the same time. Due to narrow lanes, wheat is often unloaded at a common point, forcing depot holders to hire additional labour to transport the sacks to their respective locations. With rising labour costs, it has become difficult to manage expenses within the given margins, Singh added.
A senior food supply official acknowledged the issue, explaining that heavy trucks face difficulties navigating the narrow lanes where most depots are located. “The high rental costs in commercial areas compel depot holders to set up shops in these areas, further compounding the problem. Additionally, due to limited manpower and resources, contractors struggle to ensure doorstep delivery to every depot,” official said.
District food supplies controller Sartaaj Singh Cheema said, “We have escalated these issues to the officials concerned. Additionally, depot holders are seeking a hike in their margins, which is also under consideration at higher levels.”