Bihar PDS dealers on warpath

Patna, Apr 2 (UNI) More than 45,000 dealers under public distribution system(PDS) in Bihar, launched an indefinite strike today in protest against the state government's alleged failure to issue coupons for foodstuffs and kerosene oil to consumers.

A spokesman of Bihar Fair Price Dealers Association said here today that following ''total failure'' of the government in the distribution of coupons of foodgrains and kerosene oil, the consumers were deprived of getting allotted quantities of goods under PDS during March 2007.

About 7.5 crore litres of kerosene and 30 lakh quintals of foodstuff could not be distributed in March, the spokesman said.

He attributed the collapse in PDS in March, 2007 to the inaction on the part of concerned government officials.

The spokesman of the Association cautioned the government against adopting repressive measures to fizzle out the agitation and threatened to launch ''jail bharo''(fill the prisons) agitation in case of any attempt by the government to 'implicate' the agitating PDS dealers under ''false and fabricated'' cases.

UNI