KMC carries out drive against food adulteration

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Friday carried out drive against cut fruits, coloured vegetables and spurious soft drinks in Central Kolkata. Hundreds of bottles containing coloured water and spurious soft drinks were seized and sent to laboratory for testing. Drives were carried out in vast areas of Central Kolkata. Food inspectors of KMC’s health department along with city police conducted the raid.

A senior civic official said despite repeated requests the vendors had refused to keep cut fruits inside glass cases. They were keeping them in the open. Also, some vegetable vendors were selling coloured vegetables. In many cases the colours contain chemical dye which was bad for health.

Meanwhile, a high level meeting was held in KMC headquarters on SN Banerjee Road on Friday afternoon to find out ways and means to impose more restrictions on the use of plastic bags. It was presided over by Swapan Samaddar, member, mayor in council (environment). The chairmen of 16 boroughs and their senior officials also joined the meeting.

The meeting took a stock of the actions taken against the offenders and those present suggested that if needed the KMC Act, 1980 should be amended to take more stringent action against the offenders. The departmental officers would prepare a note which would be placed before the MIC meeting and subsequently action would be taken.

Samaddar said in the past five years pamphlets had been distributed and people had been urged not to use plastic carry bags. The plastic often choke the underground sewer lines affecting smooth flow of water resulting in waterlogging.

The boroughs have been asked to intensify awareness drives. The civic employees would camp outside private and state run markets  and urge people through public address system not to use plastic carry bags.