Chennai: Delay in gunny bag disposal chokes storage at ration shops

CHENNAI: A prolonged delay in the disposal of empty gunny bags at cooperative fair price shops in North Chennai has triggered a storage crisis, with employees struggling to accommodate foodgrains and essential commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS), while an activist has sought an inquiry into the alleged administrative lapses behind the backlog.

The issue pertains to the Washermanpet cooperative ration shop (shop number 02BF031NC), where empty gunny bags have remained piled up since June 2025 after no MSTC tender was floated for their disposal. According to the complaint, the accumulation has spilled over to several fair price shops, leaving little room for storing essential supplies and disrupting routine operations.

Civic activist Ramesh Ramadoss alleged that despite instructions issued by the Senior Regional Manager (North) during an inspection in April 2025 to hand over 60,000 gunny bags to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, where they were to be procured at Rs 26 a bag, the direction was not implemented. He claimed that more than one lakh gunny bags now remain undisposed of, resulting in avoidable revenue loss to the cooperative sector. He also sought an inquiry into allegations of negligence against PDS in-charge R D Bharathi and alleged that illegal gratification was being demanded from scrap dealers through digital payments.

“It is a man-made revenue loss for the Tamil Nadu government totalling several lakhs. How do we digest and pass through like mute spectators?” Ramadoss said, urging the government to expedite disposal of the accumulated stock and initiate action against those responsible.

Ration shop employees said the delay had created an acute space shortage, affecting the storage of foodgrains and other PDS commodities. They also expressed concern that prolonged storage could damage the gunny bags, exposing them to financial liability.

Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Workers’ Association general secretary P Dinesh Kumar said the disposal of gunny bags is undertaken through area-wise tenders. “It is a normal procedure. There may be delays in some shops, but once the tender is floated, the bags will be cleared,” he told DT Next.