Probe into contaminated kits to landslide victims

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced a vigilance probe into alleged distribution of worm-infested rice and other food items in Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad district

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced a vigilance probe into alleged distribution of worm-infested rice and other food items in Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad district.

The investigation was launched in the wake of news reports that survivors of the July 30 landslides in Chooralmala and Mundakkai received contaminated rice and other food items that had passed expiry dates (REUTERS)

The investigation was launched in the wake of news reports that survivors of the July 30 landslides in Chooralmala and Mundakkai received contaminated rice and other food items that had passed expiry dates, a release from the chief minister’s office said.

The statement stated that it will be probe whether the panchayat distributed old stock or whether the items were tampered with in any manner.

“The chief minister has ordered that a preliminary probe be carried out soon and a report submitted to the government,” the release said.

The probe was ordered following a note regarding the incident was submitted by the chief secretary to the chief minister.

On Thursday, activists of the DYFI, youth wing of the CPI(M), protested in front of the Meppadi panchayat office against the distribution of inedible food items to survivors of the landslide. Scuffles erupted as DYFI activists attempted to breach the office of the panchayat president as police personnel reached the spot and calmed tempers.

The state food commission on Thursday demanded a report from the Wayanad district administration on how the inedible items were distributed without any kind of checks. The items are purported to have been supplied by an NGO for distribution during the festival of Onam in September.

The incident assumed political colours as it comes amid a heated bypoll in Wayanad parliamentary constituency. Meppadi panchayat is headed by the Congress-led UDF. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is fighting her debut election on the Congress ticket against Sathyan Mokeri of the CPI and Navya Haridas of the BJP.

Congress MLA T Siddique said the contaminated food kits were sent to the panchayat from the government deliberately to create a political controversy.

“We will expose the double standards of the government and the ruling party,” he told reporters.

Panchayat president K Babu said the worm-infested rice was received by the panchayat on Nov 1 from the district collectorate meant for distribution to the landslide survivors.

“We have no role in the contamination of the food items,” he said.

Workers of the Congress and the BJP also held agitations on Friday demanding that the collection centre for food and other items at Kainatti be opened so that a thorough probe be conducted.

In a separate incident, food kits containing rice, tea powder, sugar and other grocery items with pictures of Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Siddaramaiah were seized by the Election Commission and the state police from a flour mill near the residence of a Congress leader at Tholpety on Thursday.

Opponents like the CPI and BJP alleged that the kits were meant to be supplied to voters of the constituency in a bid to bribe them ahead of the bypoll on Nov 13.

However, the Congress clarified that the kits were brought to the state earlier to be distributed to the landslide victims and survivors.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithalaa said on Friday that his party does not engage in such practices to bribe voters in order to win elections.