Punjab dairy cooperative, Milkfed, whose Verka brand whole milk powder, was rejected by the Army, on Friday placed under suspension the general manager and manager, quality, of its dairy unit in Ludhiana.Daljit Singh, the general manager, and Guriqbal Singh, manager, quality, of Milk Union, Ludhiana, have been placed under suspension for alleged grave misconduct under Rule 61 of the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Employees Service Rules, 2023.The order states that the grave lapse in quality control of Verka products compromises the credibility of the Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited, also called Milkfed.The rejection of the whole milk powder consignment of 125 metric tonnes sent by the Ludhiana District Cooperative Milk Producers Union earlier this year was conveyed to the Milkfed authorities on February 12.The sample, 753 kg, was again tested on an appeal by the Milkfed authorities and again rejected on March 16. The sample was rejected allegedly because of the presence of extraneous substances in the milk powder.Milkfed authorities have maintained that this was just a one-off incident and they supply Verka products – UHT packaged milk, cheese, lassi and flavoured milk worth Rs 100 crore to the Army each year. “Our supplies are continuing and the Army is our most valued customer. Milkfed maintains a multi-layered quality assurance framework, incorporating rigorous in-house testing at the raw material, in process, and finished product stages, in accordance with prescribed specifications,” Milkfed MD Rahul Gupta had told The Tribune.During the course of their suspension, Daljit Singh and Guriqbal Singh will be stationed at the head office here. The order, issued by MD Gupta, says disciplinary proceedings are also being contemplated against them.