Action being taken against fair price shops that stay shut, despite orders: Delhi government tells high court

The Delhi government has informed the Delhi High Court that it has issued warnings and imposed penalties on the license holders of fair price shops (FPS) after

The Delhi government has informed the Delhi High Court that it has issued warnings and imposed penalties on the license holders of fair price shops (FPS) after complaints were received against them for keeping their shops shut..

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In a compliance report filed by the government, that additional standing counsel, Anuj Aggarwal, told the court that there have been some instances of sealing or suspension of shops due to alleged irregularities or in case of detection of Covid-19 positive cases resulting in the closure of shops, leading to the staggered supply of ration.

Aggarwal added that in cases where action has been taken against the erring FPS licensee, appropriate linking and delinking of cards is made to a nearby alternate location, so that the beneficiaries are not inconvenienced and they are informed about the change.

The report comes while hearing a plea by an NGO Rozi Roti Abhiyan Adhikar seeking implementation of the provisions of the National Food Security Act regarding the establishment of the Grievance Redressal Committee to address concerns of the public.

On the last date of hearing, the court had expressed disappointment at the Delhi government’s inaction in providing ration to the poor, despite orders . It had asked the government to file a compliance report in this regard.

The government, in the report, said that the ration shops are open throughout the week and instructions have been issued accordingly. It said on April 29, it was decided to open the Fair Price Shops for the distribution cycle of May in a staggered manner to ensure the convenience of beneficiaries and smooth distribution of ration while adhering to social distancing norms.

“….as per the norms in place, with the closure of one distribution cycle under Public Distribution System (PDS), the other distribution cycle can be taken up by the FPS only after ‘opening of sales’, which requires inspection of availability of stocks in the FPS and maintenance of necessary registers .

“Therefore, the process of ‘opening of sales’ by circle food supply inspectors and food supply officers was undertaken in a staggered manner. Accordingly, in view of the staggered opening of sales, only a limited number of FPS were allowed to be open for distribution,” the report said.

The government also said that with respect to the complaints of the petitioner about the number of FPS shops closed, action as per rules is under process against erring shops . It said that directions have been issued to all the concerned authorities for compliance of opening of shops during working hours. It also said that 1,74,000 e-coupons have been issued to beneficiaries, who do not have an aadhaar card. It also said that 29.76 lakh non-PSD beneficiaries have been provided relief benefits from the Designated Distribution Centres.

The matter would be now heard on Tuesday.