Munde: FDA chief annulled sugar mill suspension without authority

NCP leader also alleges violation of rules in Pallavi Darade’s appointment

Pallavi Darade, Commissioner of the State’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seems to have been caught in the political battle of supremacy between the Munde cousins, with one side accusing her of extending illegal favours to the other and seeking action under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964.

Dhananjay Munde, Leader of Opposition in the State Council and a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, had on August 14 sent a letter to the Chief Secretary and two other officials, accusing Ms. Darade of illegally annulling the suspension of licence to Vaidyanath Cooperative Sugar Mill in Beed district, which is headed by his cousin and Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde.

In his letter, Mr. Munde also raised the issue of violation of eligibility criteria in appointing Ms. Darade as the commissioner despite her being from the Indian Revenue Service, while rules require an officer from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

Ms. Darade’s husband Pravin Darade, an IAS, was brought to Mumbai by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to work in the CM office. He is presently the additional municipal commissioner at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The couple was in a controversy earlier over the allotment of a bungalow at Malbar Hill to them, which was opposed by the BMC.

Mr. Munde in his complaint letter mentioned the death of five workers at the sugar mill, and an inspection that followed the allegations of the mill not following rules under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The letter said after the licence of the mill was suspended for 10 days on March 19, 2018, the management instead of appealing to the chief executive officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), filed a complaint with the FDA Commissioner. “Pallavi Darade, despite having no jurisdiction and instead of directing the complaint to the FSSAI, annulled the order of suspending the licence of the mill on March 27, 2018,” the letter said. It said this was not only illegal but was also done with an intention to provide benefits to the sugar mill through wrong information.

On March 28, the letter said, Ms. Munde wrote to the CM seeking action against the officer who suspended the licence of the mill, and within a month, the officer, A.E. Kerure, was suspended with departmental inquiry pending against him. “She provided wrong information which violates law. The commissioner’s directions have illegally prevented action against the sugar mill. As a result, action should be taken against Ms. Darade under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964,” the letter said.

According to sources in the FDA, no response has been sought yet from them by the Chief Secretary’s office. Ms. Darade could not be reached for a comment, and an SMS to her mobile number went unanswered till the time of writing this report.