Adulteration in your ration

the administration has failed to curb the rising menace of food adulteration. P.S. Chauhan investigates

It is really shocking that how can Haridwar become a hub for food adulteration. As reported earlier by HP that during the melas like Kumbh, Ardh Kumbh, Kanwar Mela, Baisakhi and Somvati Amavasya, the food adulterators have a boom time. But a recently released report by N.G.O. has made more shocking revelation that spices, pulses, sweets, milk and milk products sold even during normal days are highly adulterated. "Pulses are adulterated with droppings of horses and are mixed in coriander powder. Injections are being inserted in fruits and vegetables to increase their size and make them ripe fast. Fruits are dipped in artificial colours to provide them attractive appearance," says Pradeep Chaudhary, former chairman of Haridwar Nagar Palika Parishad. "The ingredients which are mixed in pulses, spices and other food items and the chemicals which are used for ripening the fruits and vegetables are extremely harzadous to health and damage liver, kidney and other vital human organs," warns Dr. Gupta, a medical practitioner. Synthetic milk tops the list of adulterated food items. Adulterated food has developed into a industry in the adjoining rural areas of Haridwar. In fact district has emerged as a big centre for the sale of synthetic milk. Jeevan Lal Sharma, the proprietor of Sharma Dugdh Bhandar at Daksh Road Kankhal says that during summer the demand of milk goes up by many times and the yawning gap is bridged by adulterated milk. Adulterated products such as paneer, ghee, mawa and sweets prepared from the synthetic milk are being openly sold in the market, obviously with the connivance of the law enforcing agencies. Another widely prevalent practice is to inject oxytocin in the cows and buffalos to increase their yield. "Administering oxytocin in the cows and the buffalos is an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. However, these injections are openly available in the market", says Rajendra Agarwal, the state executive of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The health department neither has resources nor the will power to tighten noose around the sellers and the manufacturers of synthetic milk. On June 30, a team of the CBI from Delhi raided a factory of synthetic milk at Sultanpur Kunhari village and recovered 10 quintals of synthetic mawa. The chief medical officer (CMO), Haridwar, Dr. B.K. Gairola frankly admits that they do not have sufficient resources and adequate number of personnel to deal effectively with food adulterators. The health department of the Nagar Palika Parishad tells the same sorry tale. The chief food inspector of the district, R.S. Rawat was roughed up by the supporters of a dealer in milk products at Jwalapur when he conducted a raid last year. "If we take milk samples from a milk man, the whole village unites against us. If we conduct a raid on a shop in the city, the business community turns up against us," rues Rawat. "There is a nexus amongst food adulterators and officials. Unless the public becomes conscious of their rights and comes forward to check the menace of adulteration, the food adulterators will continue to indulge freely in this heinous practice," says Rakesh Sharma Rakesh, a social activist. The state and the district administration have also turned a Nelson's eye towards this burning issue.

The sources in the health department say that now the state government is considering to constitute an independent prevention of food adulteration department at the state level, with its branches at the district headquarters and provide the department with sufficient resources and manpower to curb the malpractice of food adulteration.