CHITWAN: District Administration Office, Chitwan, today sent sample lentils infested with weevils from a godown located at Ratnanagar Municipality-4 for test at Regional Office of Food Technology and Quality Control Department, Hetauda. The DAO had sealed the warehouse after lentils were found to be substandard.

Food inspector Navin Deuja said that 250 grams of pulses collected from 33 different sacks were sent to Food Technology and Quality Control Office and Chitwan DAO for test.

Substandard lentils rejected by the World Food Programme were found at Dantakali Store owned by Kanhailal Rathi at Ratnanagar.

Deuja said that they had sent the lentil samples for test to determine whether the pulses were edible or not. The lentils procured from Shree Dhanlaxmi Pulse Mill of Parsa’s Chhapkaiya was sent to WFP Kathmandu. After the WFP rejected the lentils saying the food items failed to meet the standard, they were found at a private godown.

Chitwan CDO Binod Prakash Singh said that his office had summoned the mill proprietor for investigation. As many as 33 sacks of lentils were found at the warehouse. Store owner Rathi and worker Ram Avatar Sharma were released on a bail of Rs 25,000 yesterday. The DAO has increased its vigilance on other warehouses as well.