Thiruvananthapuram: Agriculture minister V.S Sunilkumar on Saturday announced that the state government will take legal action against former Horticorp managing director R. Suresh Kumar. The official gave an explanation in a newspaper advertisement after his removal from the post. Mr Sunilkumar told reporters here that legal action would be taken against him as he used the name of Horticorp in the advertisement.
“It was illegal for a private individual to use the name of Horticorp in a newspaper advertisement,” the minister said. Mr Suresh Kumar, was earlier suspended after poor quality vegetables from Tamil Nadu was found to be sold through the Horticorp at the World Market in Aanayara.
Mr Suresh Kumar, through an advertisement in a daily claimed that the vegetables from Tamil Nadu were sold through world market in a special circumstance. This was because vegetables could not be obtained from the local market as it was Ramzan holiday for markets in Nedumangad and Thiruvananthapuram.
The vegetables were ordered from Tamil Nadu to overcome the crisis. The minister found out that vegetables of poor quality were bought and sold through Horticorp in a raid conducted by the minister. Following the raid, Mr Suresh Kumar was suspended from service along with two others.
