Panchayati raj polls nearer, but no indelible ink

panchayatirajPredictably, the commissionerate of printing, stationery and stores that had initially planned to send about three lakh vials of ink by July 3 to all the centres is in a fix as to how to deal with the situation. Chances are that the schedule of the local body elections, set to be held after a period of seven years, may be upset owing to this unavailability of the indelible ink which is applied on the index finger nail of a voter.The crisis came to light when the department recently realized that the ink in its possession had expired and was not fit for use. "About two weeks ago, the ink was tested on some people. To our dismay, they developed rashes while others complained of nausea. We had to immediately get it erased. Also, a large quantity of it has become hard and is, therefore, of no use now," said a government official.According to sources, the ink was bought in 2011 not from the authorized government suppliers, namely Mysore Paints and Varnishes Limited, but from three local dealers. Over 2.5 lakh vials of the ink was bought for Rs 3 crore. While the ink remained unused, as local body elections were postponed, the controversy took a legal turn after the department was dragged to court. The matter is currently sub-judice.Meanwhile, the latest 'revelation' has brought with it another crisis for the department: Mobilizing funds to the tune of about Rs 6 crore to buy indelible ink and supply it to all the centres in time for the elections. The department has now constituted a committee on the issue and will prepare a report and submit it to the state election commission soon. While officials of the printing, stationery and stores purchase department refrained from commenting on the allegations, they confirmed that the ink was unfit for use. "We had initially sent the samples to the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. When we physically tested them we realized that they had a foul smell. We have contacted the Mysore Paints and Varnishes Limited and they have quoted a price of Rs 142 per vial excluding taxes. We are waiting for the report to come out and will then decide on what to do. We will also shortly inform the state election commission about this development," said R P Meena, commissioner of the department.When contacted, the state election commission officials said they were unaware of the issue. "We have not received any official communication on the unavailability of ink. As of now, we are confident they (the department) can handle the issue and supply the necessary equipment on time," said P Ramakanth Reddy, state election commissioner.