Though the sale of adulterated food is known to rise sharply during festivals, the municipal and health authorities did not take any concrete steps to prevent this on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in Dehradun.
Scientists who have been conducting sampling and tests on sweets and other food items especially during festive occasions point out that the situation has not improved and the Government apathy is resulting in the rampant sale of adulterated food items in the State capital.
Brij Mohan Sharma, the secretary of the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) which conducts sampling and lab tests on food samples and other products during festivals and different times of the year, said that the situation in Dehradun has not changed much. Most of the milk and dairy products sold in the market are adulterated.
An alarmingly high proportion of the traditional sweets sold in Dehradun during the festive season are prepared using adulterated milk and dairy products in addition to which synthetic dyes and carcinogenic chemicals are also used in the preparation of some items. According to a reliable source wishing anonymity there is little point in conducting the sampling and lab tests on food items because as seen in the past in Dehradun, members of the business fraternity with strong political links raise a hue and cry against such drives.
“Some vendors have been penalised in the past after the lab tests of their product samples proved adulteration but this has not stopped them from continuing this practice. It seems that political connections and profit in business are more important than public health,” he said.