Lucknow: One small strand of hair found in a UP minister’s curd cup led to termination of two senior officials of Pradeshiya Cooperative Federation – makers of Parag brand of milk products in UP. Two other senior officials were demoted. The action took place early last week. The terminated officials had 30 years’ career behind them.

According to insiders, so infuriated was the minister after he discovered the hair strand in his cup that he personally went to the chief minister to lodge a complaint. The matter was then reported to principal secretary , dairy development, Anant Kumar Singh, who severely reprimanded the Parag factory manager.

But when it failed to pacify the minister, the principal secretary set up a three-member team to make a surprise inspection of Parag factory at Joping Road in the state capital. The team comprising Parag’s chief general manager S Rajalingam and two senior officials VK Singh and Shabnam Chopra inspected the factory on early this month.

The committee submitted its report to the principal secretary who is also the managing director of Parag. Within 24 hours, two of senior Parag officers Hansbir Singh Verma, in charge of quality control and Ram Das Verma, in charge of production, were terminated with immediate effect. Two others -- Rajesh Kumar Sachan, general manager, and Rajiv Kumar Sinha, factory, manager, were demoted.

The action sent a shock wave across the federation. Colleagues of punished officials claim that they were not handed over the inspection report or any chargeseet by the top management, nor were they given any chance to put up their side.

“This is the most shocking incident in the history of PCDF when senior officers have been fired for no offence and and without following the basic procedures,” lamented a PCDF officer while talking to TOI.

Sources say that the inquiry report, on the basis of which action were taken, mentions very flimsy charges like dust on the walls and some factory workers not covering their head with caps on. “These are hardly the ground to sack senior officers who have put in 30 years in this factory,” says another employee.

The inquiry report does not mention the strand of hair spotted in the minister's cup. TOI tried many times to contact principal secretary Anant Kumar Singh but failed to get any response.

An official spokesman of the PCDF said the special team had found dirt in many places in the plant so the action has been taken to send a strong message. He also said that in many places the workers were not in full and proper kit and hygenic conditions. When asked about direct termination without any notice , the spokesman said the Constitution of the federation has this provision in rare cases.

