Rotting 250-tonne onion exposes TVK govt: Edappadi K Palaniswami

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday accused the TVK government of mismanaging onion procurement, alleging that 250 tonnes of onions brought from northern states had been lying unloaded in 10 lorries at a warehouse in Korukkupet for the past three days and were rotting.

In a statement, Palaniswami said the government had announced that it would procure onions from northern states and sell them at subsidised rates through fair price shops to contain the sharp rise in market prices.

He alleged that a goods train had transported around 250 tonnes of onions procured last week to Chennai and kept them at a warehouse in Korukkupet for distribution to other districts. However, the onions had not been unloaded from the lorries for three days and were allegedly going to waste. He said 10 lorries carrying the onions had remained stranded at the location, resulting in the wastage of public money.

Raising another concern over onion procurement, Palaniswami alleged that 450 tonnes of onions procured in the fourth phase through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) had gone unaccounted for.

He said reports indicated the State government refused to accept the consignment, citing poor quality, while NAFED maintained the stock had not been returned to it. "Where have the 450 tonnes of onions brought to Tamil Nadu gone?" he asked.

Accusing the government of functioning in confusion and showing a lack of seriousness in handling the price rise of essential commodities, Palaniswami said public welfare and taxpayers' money could not be treated casually.

"Is this a cinema where one can simply say 'cut' if a take goes wrong and move on to the next take?" he asked, urging the government to implement measures to control prices with greater care and accountability.

He condemned what he described as the government's lethargic approach to handling essential commodities.