By Shahla Siddiqui | 19 October 2014, 4:30 PM IST
DEHRADUN: Ahead of Diwali, officials here have seized over 25 quintals of adulterated milk products, including sweets meant to be circulated in markets of the state capital as well as other places in Uttarakhand.
While such seizures are common ahead of the festival every year, the large quantity this time around hints at the magnitude of the adulteration racket in the state.
The intense drive against spurious food items was kicked off on October 15 and several teams of the State Food Safety and Standards Department (SFSSD) made these seizures in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar till Saturday. The department claimed that the three places are the entry points for smuggling milk products, which are frequently used during Diwali, into the hill state.
While food officials in Udham Singh Nagar and Dehradun are carrying out drives during the daytime, for those posted in Haridwar the pre-Diwali season has brought sleepless nights. "We are checking all the interstate buses as they carry milk products in huge amounts to adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Till now we have checked over 150 buses," Haridwar district food safety officer (DFSO) Mahimanand Joshi told TOI.
On Saturday, 7.5 quintals of suspicious milk products were seized and destroyed by the department. The seizure was made from four buses entering the state, three of them from Uttar Pradesh and one from Rajasthan. "There was no owner of the consignment in the buses. We seized it, collected samples and destroyed it," Joshi added.
In Rudrapur area of Udham Singh Nagar district, over 9 quintals of milk products have been seized till now, out of which 4 quintals were seized on Friday. According to SFSSD officials, Rudrapur alone supplies milk products and sweets in the hilly areas of Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat and Almora.
Udham Singh Nagar DFSO Manish Kumar Siyana said, "We believe controlling adulteration in Rudrapur will help maintain food standards and safety in the hills as a large amount of milk products are transported from here to the districts. Till now, over 9 quintals of suspicious milk products have been seized and over 100 notices have been given to sweet shops."
Apart from seizing substandard food items, this year the department has laid emphasis on the hygienic conditions in sweet shops.
"We are issuing notices to sweet shops which are not maintaining hygiene. Unpacked food items are another way of inviting notices. No shopkeeper will be spared in case of any adulteration or if substandard food is found," Rajendra Singh Rawat, designated officer (headquarters), SFSSD, said.
In Dehradun, over 20 notices have been issued and 8 quintals of food products have been seized till now.
read more
DEHRADUN: Ahead of Diwali, officials here have seized over 25 quintals of adulterated milk products, including sweets meant to be circulated in markets of the state capital as well as other places in Uttarakhand.
While such seizures are common ahead of the festival every year, the large quantity this time around hints at the magnitude of the adulteration racket in the state.
The intense drive against spurious food items was kicked off on October 15 and several teams of the State Food Safety and Standards Department (SFSSD) made these seizures in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar till Saturday. The department claimed that the three places are the entry points for smuggling milk products, which are frequently used during Diwali, into the hill state.
While food officials in Udham Singh Nagar and Dehradun are carrying out drives during the daytime, for those posted in Haridwar the pre-Diwali season has brought sleepless nights. "We are checking all the interstate buses as they carry milk products in huge amounts to adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Till now we have checked over 150 buses," Haridwar district food safety officer (DFSO) Mahimanand Joshi told TOI.
On Saturday, 7.5 quintals of suspicious milk products were seized and destroyed by the department. The seizure was made from four buses entering the state, three of them from Uttar Pradesh and one from Rajasthan. "There was no owner of the consignment in the buses. We seized it, collected samples and destroyed it," Joshi added.
In Rudrapur area of Udham Singh Nagar district, over 9 quintals of milk products have been seized till now, out of which 4 quintals were seized on Friday. According to SFSSD officials, Rudrapur alone supplies milk products and sweets in the hilly areas of Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat and Almora.
Udham Singh Nagar DFSO Manish Kumar Siyana said, "We believe controlling adulteration in Rudrapur will help maintain food standards and safety in the hills as a large amount of milk products are transported from here to the districts. Till now, over 9 quintals of suspicious milk products have been seized and over 100 notices have been given to sweet shops."
Apart from seizing substandard food items, this year the department has laid emphasis on the hygienic conditions in sweet shops.
"We are issuing notices to sweet shops which are not maintaining hygiene. Unpacked food items are another way of inviting notices. No shopkeeper will be spared in case of any adulteration or if substandard food is found," Rajendra Singh Rawat, designated officer (headquarters), SFSSD, said.
In Dehradun, over 20 notices have been issued and 8 quintals of food products have been seized till now.
read more
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