Wattala Lak Sathosa fined Rs. 150,000

The Wattala Magistrate fined Lak Sathosa Rs.150,000 yesterday when the Consumer Protection Authority instituted legal action against Lak Sathosa Welisara, Wattala for stocking rotten big onions with the intention of selling them to the consumers.

The magistrate also ordered the Lak Sathosa to destroy the stock of big onions.

Steps are also being taken to initiate legal action against two other warehouses of Lak Sathosa, for stocking big onions unfit for human consumption. The stock at McCallum warehouse Colombo is to be produced before the Maligakanda Magistrate Court

and the stock of big onions found at the Kurunegala-Gettuwana warehouse will be produced at the Kurunegala Magistrate Court.

In the mean time, the officials responsible for the purchase of 44,700 kilos of outdated imported big onions are to face domestic inquiries, initiated by the Secretary to the Ministry of Co-opratives and Internal Trade on the orders of Minister Johnston Fernando. The Lak SATHOSA warehouses at Welisara, Gettuwana and Colombo McCallum Road were sealed on Saturday, December 29 after the raid was conducted on the orders of the minister who had received a tip off that big onions which had passed their expiry date were being stored in the warehouses.

The stock of onions is said have passed the expiry date.

A domestic inquiry will be conducted by a three member panel.

The inquiry will examine as to how the big onions were purchased by Lak Sathosa, from where and whether necessary procedure had been followed in buying the stock of big onions.

The panel will find out who was behind the purchase of the stock of imported onions under the pretext of purchasing them from local farmers.

Minister Fernando had ordered the panel to submit a comprehensive report and had instructed the officials to conduct investigations at all Lak Sathosa warehouses or stores.