TIRUNELVELI: Ration shop employees’ strike on Wednesday in Tirunelveli district resulted in the closure of more than 1000 PDS shops in the district.
Following a complaint preferred by Dharmaraj (45), salesman at the NGO colony ration shop in Tirunelveli last week, to the district collector that the officials of the cooperative department tortured him to compulsorily sell the tea packets to the family card holders, the district collector ordered an enquiry by the Tirunelveli RDO, Fermi Vidya.
However during her enquiry a couple of days ago on Monday, Fermi Vidya was reported to have found some malpractice at the shop. Further the salesman, Dharmaraj too was alleged to have spoken ill of the RDO and refused to give her the bill book.
The woman RDO, against whom the ration shop salesman was said to have used filthy language, filed a complaint with the Perumalpuram police that Dharmaraj threatened her and prevented her from executing her duty as a government servant.
Based on the complaint of the RDO, the police arrested Dharmaraj, who however came out the next day on bail.
Condemning the arrest of Dharmaraj, ration shop salesmen affiliated to all the trade unions in Tirunelveli district struck work on Wednesday, resulting in closure of around 1282 PDS shops in the district for a day.
The collector, however, called on the representatives of the trade union leaders and assured to withdraw the police complaint given by the RDO against Dharmaraj. Following the collector’s assurance on Wednesday afternoon the ration shop salesmen agreed to return to work on Thursday.
