The National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights expressed sorrow on Tuesday over provision of spurious water, milk and unhygienic food items and chalked out a strategy to curb the adulteration in the country. A meeting of the committee, which was chaired by Fauzia Wahab, also finalised guidelines to address the growing problems in the country.
The committee termed adulteration and contamination in edibles especially beverages, bottled water, cooking oil/ghee, spices, food colour, tea, sweeteners like sugar, sweetmeats, bakery products, milk and milk products, fruit and vegetable products as a constant threat to human health.
"There is no locality in any city, which is free of this menace. Open sale of such adulterated edibles is causing serious health problems and spreading fatal diseases like cancer, heart, liver and stomach", the committee added. It also noticed that majority of the adulterated products are sold at small shops, by roadside vendors, small restaurants and hotels, because of their high profit margin. Adulterators are not scared of any legal or punitive action due to the various loopholes in the existing laws. Majority of adulterators arrested or challaned for the offence easily get bails from courts, it observed.