Major Action by Dehradun DM Savin Bansal; Raid at Central Warehouse Supplying Rations to Anganwadi Centres in the State
Dehradun:
Acting on the directions of the Chief Minister, Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal carried out a raid at a central warehouse in Roorkee that supplies food materials to Anganwadi centres across the state. The action was taken following multiple complaints received through various sources regarding the poor quality of supplies being distributed to Anganwadi centres.
During the inspection at the warehouse located at Madi Chowk in Roorkee, several serious irregularities came to light. Child labourers were found working inside the warehouse, prompting the District Magistrate to direct officials to register a case against the warehouse owner.
The inspection also revealed irregularities in food packaging and labeling. Manufacturing and expiry dates on several items were either missing or appeared suspicious. In particular, the dates on packets of dates and banana chips were found to be questionable. In many cases, instead of printed manufacturing and expiry dates, the packets had stamped dates, which raised concerns about authenticity and compliance with safety standards.
Officials also found that the warehouse was not being operated according to prescribed norms. There was no proper temperature control facility for storing food items. Records and registers were not properly updated, and the supplier failed to produce valid quality certification for the food materials being distributed.
Further inspection indicated that the quality of eggs and other food items being supplied to Anganwadi centres across both Garhwal and Kumaon regions was also doubtful. It was observed that eggs and other food supplies received in December and January were still being distributed in March, raising serious concerns about freshness and safety.
During the raid, the District Magistrate also stopped vehicles that were about to dispatch supplies to Anganwadi centres and ordered sampling of the food materials. These vehicles were reportedly headed for Tehri, Uttarkashi, and Doiwala. The quality of eggs was also found to be suspicious, and samples have been sent for testing.
District Magistrate Savin Bansal stated that any compromise with the health of children and lactating mothers would not be tolerated. Strict action will be taken against those found responsible.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sadar Hari Giri, District Programme Officer (Child Development) Jitendra Kumar, Tehsildar Surendra Dev, Roorkee Kanoongo Sanjay Kumar, and other officials were present during the raid.
