Registered water companies may take legal steps against spurious counterparts

Soon, registered packaged drinking water manufacturers may to take legal steps against 'spurious' mineral water makers.

It was recently revealed that contaminated water was being filled up from roadside taps into jars of well-known packaged drinking water companies.

The legal packaged drinking water manufacturers feel that their trade will soon be in danger if this illegal operation would continue to exist.

Some members of the West Bengal Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturer Welfare Association recently raided some of the illegal packaged drinking water manufacturing units alongside VIP Road.

"We have seen that old jars of mineral water are being filled by contaminated roadside tap water at Baguiati's Raghunathpur area. Being registered manufacturers of packaged drinking water, we were really shocked to see that happening in front of our eyes," said Sanjib Nag, Secretary, West Bengal Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturer Welfare Association.

The association, however, decided to lodge an FIR against those spurious mineral water makers. "Very soon, our registered dealers in the locality will lodge a complaint with Baguiati police station," Nag said while talking to Millennium Post on Saturday.

It may be mentioned that in a crackdown on the offenders, the Enforcement Branch already had arrested two persons and seized few instrument in April 24 from New Town. The gang was allegedly selling spurious mineral water under the brand names of some reputed companies.

Meanwhile, the association alleged that some traders are illegally selling contaminated water with the help of a few unscrupulous distributors.

"After disclosing our identity as registered packaged drinking water manufacturers to that illegal trader, we asked that person about the authenticity of his business. He showed us some papers which are not sufficient to manufacture packaged drinking water," Nag further informed.

"We saw that contaminated water was being filled up in old jars of reputed 'Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS)' registered companies. Then we found that some distributors are involved in this crime along with those traders," he said.

Getting approvals from several organisations for manufacturing mineral water is a complex process.

"The manufacturers require necessary licenses from State Water Investigating Directorate, fire license and pollution clearance. Then the manufacturers have to apply for BIS and FASSI approvals," Nag said, adding that: "looking at this illegal production, we can see the red alert for our businesses.

"BIS and FASSI will find these jars of contaminated water selling in the markets under the brand names of our registered companies. Then, they will take no time to blacklist us and cancel our licenses."