Civil Supplies Dept gear up to deal with ration dealers' strike

Taking a serious note on the strike call given by ration dealers, the Telangana Government has initiated measures to deal with the situation.

The State Government has decided to suspend the dealers who till now not paid DD’s and not distributing commodities. The Civil Supplies Department started the process of listing out the dealers who are participating in the strike and also initiated officials district to collect wise the data of the participants. As per the orders from Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, the Civil Supplies Department has declared Saturday (2nd of December) as the last date for the ration dealers for depositing DD’s for ration commodities, after that defaulters would be suspended.

Commissioner for Civil Supplies C.V. Anand issued orders to district Collectors and Joint Collectors to appoint new dealers to fill up the vacant positions. Also collect the data of the members participating in the strike and the details of the dealers who have deposited DD’s but are not distributing commodities to common people. He also suggested officials to take alternative measures in the major areas where strike is in practice and preparations to be made to distribute commodities to the people without any disturbances.

Service charge on bills illegal: C.V.Anand

Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand on Saturday convened a meeting with representatives of hotels association where he warned them that imposition of service charge on bills handed out to customers at hotels and restaurants was illegal.

Payment of service charge by customers was voluntary because it was supposed to be a tip for the service that they received from hotels and restaurants. But, a number of complaints were received in the National Consumer Helpline that hotels and restaurants included ‘service charge’ as a separate head in the bill to collect 5 to 20% of value of food items consumed in lieu of tips, a release said.

Therefore, Mr. Anand told the representatives, the bills may clearly mention service charge as voluntary. The space against the head ‘service charge’ in the bill may be left blank for the customers to fill and pay the amount that they quoted.

The legal metrology department would conduct raids on hotels and restaurants from Monday to check if the amount was continued to be collected despite Saturday’s firm instructions. Mr. Anand warned the representatives that tips or gratuity paid by customers towards hospitality received by them was a separate transaction between them and hotel staff at the discretion of customers.

Raids against GST frauds to be intensified

Legal Metrology Department has intensified the raids against GST fraud cases with the Commissioner for Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology Controller C.V. Anand ordering officials to make special and detailed checks on all the complaints for another week.

So far, 1,062 cases have been booked and Rs.10.62 lakhs penalty has been imposed while few more cases were in trail stage, Anand said in a press release issued here on Sunday. Most cases registered for charging GST on MRP were in Hyderabad and these include against Hyderabad Central Mall, PVR Cinemas, KFC, Mc Donald, Prasads Imax, Subway Food Court, Sujana Mall in Kukatpally, Blue Fox Restaurant, Shanbagh, Golconda Hotel and others, he said.

Stating that the department would continue to intensify action on the GST frauds, Anand said penalty from Rs.2,000 to Rs.25,000 would be levied against those caught for the first time for charging more than MRP with the penalty getting doubled for those caught the second time.

Complaints of GST frauds were coming not only about small traders but even big shopping malls and multiplexes. Charging GST on MRP, non GST items and selling on higher prices in the GST were reported in these raids. In last six days Legal Metrology Department conducted more than 5000 raids and made special and detailed checks in malls, multiplexes, star hotels, restaurants, bars, sweet houses and other business points, the press release added.

Civil supplies to carry out GST drive

Civil supplies department will take up special drive from Thursday across the state to check shops and commercial establishments collecting higher GST and higher price than MRP. Special teams comprising of officials and staff from legal metrology department have been formed for the purpose.

It will book cases and impose penalty of Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000 on shops found to be violating the norms during the raids.

The department received large scale complaints on shops fleecing consumers in the name of GST and collecting GST for items which are listed in zero tax slab in GST regime.

Civil supplies commissioner C.V. Anand on Wednesday held a meeting with legal metrology officials to finalise special drive against shops and commercial establishments violating GST and MRP norms.

Mr Anand directed officials to initiate stringent action against the violators.He said the department has been recieving lot of complaints on MRP violations from consumers and asked officials to act fast on such complaints.

Mr Anand asked consumers to lodge GST, MRP related complaints on 73307744444 (WhatsApp number  of civil supplies department), 

Whatsapp helpline 7330774444 launched to handle the grievances of the public and other stakeholders

The Telangana Civil Supplies department has established a ‘WhatsApp Centre’ at its headquarters here, to handle the grievances of the public and other stakeholders such as farmers, millers, warehouse owners, transporters and fair price shop dealers.

Those intending to lodge a complaint may send it through the ‘WhatsApp’ application to the number ‘7330774444’, along with images, audio or video clippings. Complaints may be about corrupt practices of officials, FP shops closed during regular hours, shortage of ration, diversion of commodities, injustice to farmers or regarding e-PoS machines at the FP shops.

The complaint will be received by the control room at the headquarters, and forwarded to the official concerned. Response about the action taken will be immediately and then forwarded to the complainant through ‘WhatsApp’.

The ‘WhatsApp Control Room’ was launched by the Secretary, Information Technology here on Friday, along with the project of installation of CCTV cameras in 171 Mandal Level Stockist Points (MLSPs).

The control room will be monitored by three members 24X7.

A total of 1715 high definition cameras will be fixed at the MLSPs, after the successful results of installing them in nine warehouses in Greater Hyderabad.

The video wall facility where the movement of trucks can be observed live, will be extended to the Joint Collectors’ offices in the State soon, Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand said.

The department had launched the command control centre in order to prevent diversion of PDS rice in two stages, between the buffer godowns and MLSPs and from MLSPs to the fair price shops, respectively.

Whenever the vehicles go off from the authorised route, online alerts would be generated and the erring persons could be brought to book.