The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Jharkhand have decided to back the traders protesting the recent state notification that brought into effect Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), which restricts traders from storing more than 250 quintals of foodgrains like rice & wheat.

Since the notification, deputy commissioners of the state?s 22 districts, particularly those of East Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan, Dhanbad and Bokaro, had been conducting raids at shops selling foodgrains, and issuing show-cause notices to those carrying stocks beyond 250 quintals of rice and wheat and 500 quintals each of edible oils, oilseeds & lentils.

The traders have given the government a deadline, of May 27, to withdraw the notification, failing which they would go on a day?s state-wide strike on May 28.

??It seems strange that the state has recently amended the APMC Act to encourage big retail chains but invoked an outdated EC Act to harass small retailers of foodgrains,?? said Suresh Sonthalia, vice-president, Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Sonthalia added considering the time when the EC Act was framed and today?s population, the limit of 250 quintal of stock of wheat or rice was ??grossly inadequate.??

While three shopowners in Jamshedpur have so far been issued show-cause notices for keeping stocks beyond the permissible limit, a small shop at Chowka near Chandil, 45 km from here, was sealed by the public distribution system (PDS) officials and even items like potato, onion and salt, along with foodgrains were seized. Agitated shopowners of Dhanbad and Bokaro districts have stopped buying fresh lots of foodgrains, triggering a food shortage in two adjacent districts.

Several trade bodies, including the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce & Industry at Ranchi, the Jamshedpur Chamber of Commerce, the Khaddeyan Vaibsai Sangh and the Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce &Industry, have since been urging the government to revoke the ECA notification.

Nothing has so far also been heard from Kamlesh Singh, the state water, food & civil supplies minister who had met the traders a few days ago and assured them that he would meet the chief minister and convey their concerns.

Under the Act, violation of the provision of Section 7 (1) (a) (ii) is a non-bailable offence, inviting punishment up to seven years.