The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) has not taken any stringent action against firms that supplied substandard items for the Onam kits distributed among ration cardholders in the state. According to the tender document, Supplyco can include these distributors in the blacklist and prevent them from taking part in further tenders launched by the corporation or impose fines. Moreover, a case could also be registered under the FSSAI Act.
However, all that Supplyco has done so far is withholding a 10-per cent payment of the total bill amount.
Lab tests had shown that apart from the jaggery supplied by firms under tender, the items procured without tender from Marketfed (Kerala State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited) and another company were also adulterated.
Concern over school kits
Meanwhile, it is pointed out that unless the firms that supplied poor quality items for the Onam kit are blacklisted, they would provide items for the school kits also.
The company that supplied ‘papads’ for the Onam kit had earlier in July and August provided substandard Bengal gram which was returned by Supplyco officials at the depots in Kannur, Thalassery, Thodupuzha, Attingal, Kozhikode, Karunagappally and Vaikom. However, the same firm was given the order to supply Bengal gram in September also.
Substandard items
Till now, Supplyco has tested the quality of only 71 loads of jaggery, while 429 loads were not checked. As many 35 samples were found unfit for consumption and the loads sent back to the distributors.
Similarly, the ‘papads’ procured by Supplyco also lacked the necessary quality and samples were sent for tests. However, no action followed. In fact, the same ‘papads’ were included in the Onam kits and distributed to ration cardholders.
‘Action soon’
When contacted, CMD of Supplyco Asgar Ali Pasha said that punitive measures such as fines and blacklisting would be launched against distributors who supplied substandard food items. “The committee dealing with the matter would meet soon and recommend suitable action,” he said.
