Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) officials conducted simultaneous surprise raids in the offices of the Food Safety wing across the State on Wednesday and detected widespread irregularities, a statement issued by the VACB said here.
“Operation Janaraksha” was conducted on the instructions from Vigilance Director Anil Kant at all 42 offices of the Food Safety wing from 11 a.m.
The raids were conducted following complaints received by the VACB that samples taken for testing under the Food Safety and Standards Act of India were not being sent to the labs for testing, documentation was improper and legal measures were not being adopted against those whom lab tests revealed to be violating Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
There were also complaints that food safety officials were not vigilant about ensuring that banned substandard food items did not reach the market again and that no steps were being taken to pursue the hundreds of food safety cases which were accumulating before the RDO.
At the inspection held at the food safety office near General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, it was found that no follow-up action had been taken in 434 out of the 680 complaints received by the office till 2019. Of the samples collected and sent for testing since 2012, reports were awaited in 1,382 cases. Of the online applications for registration, 66 applications seemed to have been concealed deliberately.
In the inspections held in Kannur, Malappuram and Pathanamthitta, vigilance officials found that many cases were under the FSSAI. Though a fine of ₹one to ₹five lakh could have been levied, only ₹1,000 to ₹25,000 had been charged.
Similar irregularities as well as anomalies in record keeping and documentation were found in all districts. A detailed report would be submitted to the government, the statement said.