Pulses dealers in Hyderabad feign ignorance about Central Act

Hyderabad: Most wholesale dealersand retailers of pulses in the city are unaware of the Central Act, which mandates them to upload online stock position with them daily. The pulses include tur dal (red gram), masoor dal (red lentil), urad dal (black gram) and channa (split chickpeas).

According to commission agents at the Mahbub Gunj, they have not received any circular from the Civil Supplies department or the government to upload the stocks of pulses. "We run business on commission basis. We are unaware of the Act which stipulates uploading of stocks," said Tarun, a commission agent.

While, dealers in markets, including Mahbub Gunj, Osman Gunj, Begum Bazar, Mir Alam Mandi, Bowenpally said no owners have been updating stocks online. Here, most of them are commission agents and wholesalers who purchase crop or pulses from traders, millers and farmers, and sell with commission on the wholesale price.

Jignesh, an agent said, "traders or millers must be uploading the stocks, but, as wholesalers or agents, we are not doing so as we are unaware of the Act. The wholesalers and agents would be having the update record of daily sales for their own record, but they won't be uploading online stock position of pulses."

A representative of Sri Sai Traders, a major dealer of pulses at Mahbub Gunj, said they have been uploading stocks on a daily basis for several months, as it is mandatory for traders and millers to do so."

It may be mentioned here that pulses can no longer be hoarded and should be uploaded online on a daily basis. As per orders, millers, retailers and wholesale dealers of pulses should declare their stocks to be uploaded online daily.

The enforcement officials of the Civil Supplies and Revenue departments are to ensure that traders update the stock details of pulses on the Central portal and conduct regular inspections.

The State government has already developed an online system to track stocks of pulses in tune with the Central orders. If anyone is found hoarding they will be booked for violation of the EC (Essential Commodities) Act,1955.