Around one lakh litre of oil adulterated with argemone seeds was brought into the market by three oil dealers who have since been arrested. The government's move will help seize all that remains of this oil with consumers as well as sellers and also other oil medium like vanaspati, made with this oil as an ingredient.

The Chief Minister agreed that the ambiguity in the minds of the buyer and the seller about the quality of the existing stocks had to be removed and the government purchase of the stocks was a way out. He said that fresh supply of oil would be brought in while the old ones would be thoroughly tested and sorted out for possible re-use.

Also, new oil purchases will go through rigorous checking and would be available through 400 government-controlled outlets, he said.

Old stocks continue to remain in godowns sealed by Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDM) who have been doing the rounds of all the nine districts in the state, taking samples from various shops and sending them for testing to the department of Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA).

According to G. Sudhakar, one of the three SDMs of the north district, approximately 20 samples of oil had been collected from the areas in his jurisdiction viz Sadar Bazar, Bada Indu Rao, Kashmiri Gate and Pratap Nagar. The results of the tests started coming in only since Thursday. Of the two results he has got so far, one tested negative, he said.