Amidst ongoing controversies surrounding irregularities at Aavin, Tamil Nadu’s state-operated milk company, a recent incident has sparked outrage in Madurai. An official inspection revealed a video, which went viral, showing a man mixing water into Aavin milk cans during transport.
In the Sathamangalam area of Madurai, Aavin procures 1.93 lakh litres of milk daily from the surrounding region to supply to Madurai city and its outskirts. Recently, there has been a notable increase in complaints about the quality of Aavin milk packets, with allegations of water being added to the milk.
In response, Justin John Devasakayam, an extension officer at Aavin in Chellambatti, inspected after receiving numerous complaints about the milk quality. During a surprise visit, he discovered that a transport vendor was adulterating the milk by adding water to the cans before delivery. Devasakayam recorded the incident and released the video, which went viral and showed him confronting the situation and calling for police intervention to address the corruption affecting dairy farmers.
In the video, he confronted the driver, asking, “What are you doing? Get down from the vehicle,” the officer ordered while the driver was mixing water into the milk cans. Then the officer pointed fingers at the driver and said, “He is Koppampatti DMC’s driver. There have been many complaints from people that the milk lacks quality and quantity. Today, we came and checked. We found that they parked the vehicle in a society (milk booth), filled water in the bucket, and poured it into the milk can.” The extension officer shouted madly, asking, “Why did he pour water in the can?”
The driver replied, “Based on his friend’s instruction, he did. ” Then, the officer instructed another individual to call the police to the scene.
Following his expose, Devasakayam faced repercussions, including the suspension of his salary, after he revealed the irregularities and accused higher authorities of complicity. Devasakayam stated, “My salary has been suspended despite my commitment to addressing irregularities and working for the benefit of both milk producers and consumers. Last month’s and this month’s salaries were withheld. Before joining the firm, I had a depo that I transferred to another entity (not owned by me or sold). They appear to have used this timing to target me with a summons/memo.”
In addition to the officer’s viral video, another video showed Aavin milk packets being transported to a secluded location for illicit activities. The video uncovered several irregularities, including the theft of milk packets, incomplete trays, and broken packets not replaced by authorities. Additionally, it revealed that diesel fuel was being stolen from the transport vehicles, further fueling the controversy.
The dairy department has been urged to take appropriate action. Officials confirmed that water was indeed being mixed with milk during transportation from Aavin’s Koppampatti factory to Madurai, resulting in the confiscation of the adulterated milk.
ஆவின் பால் ஏன்.. தண்ணியாக இருக்கிறது.. அடித்து பிடித்த காட்சிகள்..! கையும் களவுமாக சிக்கினார்#Madurai | #Aavin | #AavinMilk | #Cheating | #PolimerNews pic.twitter.com/cqBeHlfa9N
— Polimer News (@polimernews) September 2, 2024
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