With the demand of sweets at an all-time high, owing to the festivities, the illicit trade of adulterated mawa has risen as well in Gautam Budh Nagar district. The culprits are pumping in the same to the national Capital too. This menace has spread its tentacles far and wide in the Gautam Budh Nagar district.
The district administration reportedly claimed to have had seized and destroyed over 100 quintals of adulterated mawa, white milk, paneer and sweets from more than two dozen factories and shops in the last 40 days.
According to reports, rural belt of Greater Noida has become a safe haven for those who are involved in this illegal trade and over 100 factories are running under the very nose of the local administration. These factories are housed in the rural premises, while the local police very conveniently look the other way. Sources say that these unscrupulous people are preparing mawa with boiled potato, soybean oil, sugar dust, milk powder and other materials, and are selling it on a high premium.
"Around 10 factories are running illegally here as there is a large demand of mawa in Old Delhi area. We have been supplying mawa and other products to the buyers of Fawwara Mandi for more than 100 years and in festive seasons their demand registers manifold increase that tempts us to supply adulterated mawa. We mix 50 per cent pure khoya and the same amount of other materials," said a trader while pleading anonymity.
Ajay Kumar Jaiswal, Chief Food Inspector of Gautam Budh Nagar, said that they have formed a team to check the illegal trade and raids are being conducted at various places.
"We have sent over 50 samples of sweets, paneer, mawa and other items too. As the illegal trading of such items has increased these days, we have started checking the shopkeepers. We have raided many shops and factories and have issued warnings to them to stop their business immediately, failing to do so will call for penal action against them," said Jaiswal.
Talking about the health problems associated with adulterated sweets, Dr CB Jha, a private practitioner in Noida, said that the consumption of such items affects the body in several ways. It affects the digestive system of the people. It increases blood pressure and also leads to strokes. It also damages liver and kidney.