Railways told to take action on transport of gutka into Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Taking note of railway officials’ reluctance to check the transport of banned gutka into Tamil Nadu by train, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has written to Indian Railways on March 14 seeking an action taken report on recent seizures in the state.

This comes after Tamil Nadu food safety commissioner P Amudha wrote two letters to FSSAI stating that railway officials in the state appeared to be unaware of the 2016 Supreme Court order banning the manufacture, sale and distribution of gutka. A TOI report on March 3, describing how gutka was being brought in through the Delhi-Kanyakumari Thirukkural bi-weekly express and unloaded at Madurai junction in violation of railway rules, was also attached by Amudha with the letter. Gutka was found to be smuggled through containers on railways by the Chennai police as well.

After a tip-off by social activist Jayaram Venkatesan, railway vigilance and Railway Protection Force (RPF) raided the train and seized a consignment of 200 bundles in February. But they couldn’t file an FIR as they were waiting for the food safety department to test the sample in their laboratory. Authorities also said at the time that as per railway rules, tobacco was not acontraband. 

The train was found to be illegally stopped for 20 minutes to unload the consignment, while its scheduled stoppage time is only five minutes.

Asenior railway official in the Madurai division told TOI that they have declared the consignment as contraband. “There is no doubt from our side. The food safety authority has taken the samples on March 15 and the test reports are awaited, after which they will destroy the contraband,” he said. Until the test report comes, the government railway police (GRP) will not be able to file an FIR, he said, adding that two commercial clerks have been chargesheeted in the case.

Section 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 states that anybody who manufactures, sells, stores or distributes food which is unsafe — causing non-grievous injury — can be imprisoned for one year and fined up to ₹3 lakh.

Venkatesan said there was acollusion of railway employees in the racket. “How can a driver prolong stoppage at a station without collusion? There’s clearly a network which has to be investigated,” he said.