DESPITE PASSAGE of full one year after receiving a complaint against irregularities in sample collection, the Health Department authorities have failed to take any action so far.
Zafar Unis, advocate of the Allahabad High Court, had alleged irregularities in the sampling of pyrethrum insecticide to protect a fertiliser company. He said despite serious charges Dr RR Bharti had been made Ardh Kumbh Mela in-charge.
The advocate alleged that the fertilizer firm supplied extremely poor quality pyrethrum insecticide, which was not at all effective and consequently led to a large number of deaths due to malaria and Japanese Encephalitis in Gorakhpur and other regions.
In the complaint, dated December 12, 2005, Zafar Unis stated that following the reports of supply of poor quality insecticide, a two-member team, consisting of assistant director (Malaria) Dr RR Bharti and Dr Ramesh Chandra, was formed to collect the pyrethrum samples.
"The samples were collected and sent to an approved laboratory, which gave a clean chit to the firm.
The AD (Malaria) had released over Rs 1.33 crore to the firm in March, 2004 and all efforts were made to protect it from getting black-listed," alleged Zafar.
Zafar said he had raised objection why an insecticide inspector was not included in the team, which collected pyrethrum samples.
{{/usCountry}}Zafar said he had raised objection why an insecticide inspector was not included in the team, which collected pyrethrum samples.
{{/usCountry}}He said the Insecticide Act- 1968 clearly mentioned that insecticide inspector must be included in such probe teams.
During that period Dr Ramesh Chandra was posted as senior entomology assistant and Dr RR Bharti was assistant director, Malaria.
"A full year has passed, but no action has been taken on the complaint. This despite the fact that director (Stores) Arjun Kumar also admitted that an insecticide inspector should have been included in the team," he added.
Zafar Unis said despite serious charges of protecting the fertiliser firm, Dr RR Bharti was made Ardh Kumbh Mela in-charge. "It is clear that the State Health Department wants to ignore the complaint at the cost of lives of thousands of innocent children who died due to JE and malaria," he added.