ADULTERATED OIL SCANDAL

ADULTERATED OIL SCANDAL

7-MARCH-ENG 14

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWL

ARA----------------------------The seizure of toxic oil worth Rs. 6.5 crore is less an 'achievement' for the department and more a memorial to its 'failure'. The oil reaching every household in Uttar Pradesh wasn't produced overnight. Factories from Muzaffarnagar to Gorakhpur had been operating for months, trucks were running, and stickers were being replaced. The question is, were the Food Safety Department (FSDA) ground officials sleeping soundly at that time?

It's no secret that even a single illegal brick cannot be laid without the 'consent' of local officials, so how were such large refining units operating?

Sources and experts indicate that there is a strict monthly payment arrangement between adulterators and some corrupt department officials and inspectors. In exchange for this commission, adulterators receive advance notice of raids.

Even when samples are collected under pressure, they are often "managed" by the time they reach the lab. What guarantee is there that the 231 samples collected will be properly tested in the lab or will simply be declared "pure" on paper?

Why this activity only during Holi and Ramzan? Does adulteration cease for the remaining 10 months of the year? This "special campaign" is often conducted to fool the public and fulfill orders from higher authorities.

Where was the oversight? When palm oil was being imported from Nepal and chemicals were being added to units in Muzaffarnagar, were regional food inspectors simply writing "everything is fine" in their files?

What about old files? Were the 38 companies served notices never inspected before? If so, who gave them the clean chit?

When will action be taken against the officials? Oil was confiscated, factories were sealed, but what about the officials under whose noses this business flourished? Will an FIR be filed against them, or will they simply suspend junior employees and brush off the blame?

The Food Department's job is to provide "protection," but the reality is that "convenience fees" are rampant at every step, from license distribution to sampling. The application of a new sticker to expired oil in Gorakhpur is the department's biggest intelligence failure. If Commissioner Roshan Jacob hadn't personally taken charge and sent teams inter-district, local officials might still be sipping tea with those adulterators.

The harsh truth: Adulterants are merely traders; the real culprits are the uniformed officers who, for a few coins, put the lives of millions of Uttar Pradesh citizens at risk.

Seizing oil alone won't suffice. Unless the properties of corrupt officials who are partners with these adulterators are investigated, the poison will not be eradicated from the state's food.

Ask the department how many samples were taken and how many actions were taken in the last six months! This data holds officials accountable.

File a direct complaint with the Lokayukta about corruption by senior officials, along with an affidavit.

If the department refuses to hear your complaint, seek a response from the court through a writ petition.

Preserve evidence such as video, audio, or chat.

Clearly request that your identity be kept confidential.

Send a copy of the complaint to the District Magistrate and Principal Secretary by registered post.

An adulterator picks your pocket, but a corrupt official compromises your family's health