And for a Friday ….. an upright incorruptible IAS officer has grabbed National attention ……. some thoughts ….. some musings ……
Who would have known the existence of Tukaram Mundhe IAS ….. the fact that he was an uncompromising Bureaucrat not afraid to stand up & fight the deeply rooted corrupt systems within the huge Government machinery is evident from one simple statistic ….. 25 transfers in 21 years of service ….. he has that uncanny sense to get hold of every department allotted to him & shake it up ….. much to the discomfort of the established “ legacy” corrupt systems ….hence as soon as appointed as FDA Maharashtra ….. within a week of taking over he could disrupt the status quo & use the existing Investigating & raiding Teams & the same prevalent laws & regulations in exposing glaring irregularities & setting things right ……The Food Safety & Standards Act 2006 clauses were implemented ….. he chose the topmost Clubs … Restaurants … Eateries … was not daunted by the Court challenging him … he went after the Bombay High court & other Government Canteens too ……. from basic cleanliness … expired food stuff …infestation of flies & cockroaches … poor storage practices … rotten vegetables & meat …. Employees handling food without proper hygiene …..faulty labels even by MNCs like Nestle, Pepsi ,Coca Cola & Alcoholic beverages companies …… unfair endorsements by celebrities including likes of Shah Rukh Khan & others …….his team meticulously combed .. recorded & acted on defaulters with speed & precision …….
These actions must raise our concerns …..we need to question his Predecessors ….. did they fail to do their jobs ….. what are the previous reports …. How come such blatant lapses have skipped scrutiny ….: lets be mindful that these raids were in the most Premium & undeniably the best-in -class joints …….. what would be the health hazards & safety levels at the hundreds of small roadside Dhabhas & Eating joints …… imagine the impact on health & diseases …….& the amounts of Corrupt , sleaze money transacted ….. The FSSAI ( Food Safety & Standards Authority of India) oversees National Food Safety standards ….. each state & Union Territory has their own FDA …… so 28 states have IAS officers as FDAs …… will Tukaram Mundhe’s exploits invigorate them to action …… can the citizens & food activists raise their vigil & demand actions …. How can civil society be alert & involved in these blatant corrupt practices ……. these questions need introspection by each of us …..
Let us all support the actions of Mundhe & hope all states will be inspired & raise our Food safety Standards ….. the Munde way ….. the citizen centric way …..the SEEGOS way.