Food Min flays TTV, Annamalai for remark on contract to firms

CHENNAI: State Food Minister R Sakkarapani on Saturday took a veiled dig at BJP state president K Annamalai and AMMK leader TTV Dinakaran for accusing the government of awarding tenders to contractors penalised for supplying alleged substandard products in Pongal gift.

In a statement, Sakkarapani, without naming the opposition leaders, said, “A person in Tamil Nadu who does not know maths despite learning it and another person who went to prison for trying to bribe for securing election symbol have blamed that companies that were penalized in connection with Pongal gift products supply were permitted to supply dhal and palm oil.”

“The Maths ignorant person has said that the companies were penalized for supplying dhal and palm oil even without knowing that Dhal and Palm Oil were not part of the Pongal gift hamper. I do not know if he makes such allegations out of ignorance or merely to accuse the government,” the minister said.

Admitting to receiving complaints from some places in connection with the quality of Jaggery and pepper supplied in the pongal gift, Sakkarapani said that a senior manager of TN Civil Supplies Corporation, quality control inspector and in charge of warehouse were suspended for dispatching the gift hampers without properly testing the quality.

Adding that a fine of Rs 7.04 crore was imposed on five companies despite replacing products for supplying substandard products and delaying supply.

Action has been taken in whatever way possible for not fulfilling the tender conditions in pongal gift supply, the minister clarified that there was no rule barring the companies from participating in tenders for supply of other products.