Various measures were taken by successive State Governments to boost tourism and facilitate public welfare but little has been done to address the major public health risk posed by the rising presence of adulterated food items being sold in the State.
Having elicited little action from successive Chief Ministers on this issue, the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) has written to Governor Krishan Kant Paul seeking action against food adulteration especially in view of the Char Dham Yatra to be resumed in the near future.
In the letter to the Governor SPECS secretary Brij Mohan Sharma states, “As you are aware, presently the food quality is being affected with the problem of food adulteration assuming epidemic proportions. It is established that such adulterated items have an immediate and long term damaging effect on our mental and physical health, even being the cause of death in many cases. We believe that food adulteration should be considered a serious punishable offence and provision of penal provisions should be made accordingly. Together with the Department of Science and Technology, we have developed a food quality testing kit ‘Rasoi Kasauti’ which can be used for conveniently testing about 40 food products including spices, cooking oil, milk, honey, pulses and other items.”
The scientist further stated, “For the past 10 years we have been conducting regular survey of food items available during the summer on the Char Dham Yatra circuit. laboratory tests have shown that more than 95 per cent of food products available on the pilgrimage circuit is adulterated with most of the remaining five per cent items not adulterated being locally produced. The adulterants were found to be items ranging from harmless substances to damaging chemicals and other items. We have been informing all the successive Chief Ministers of Uttarakhand about our report of adulteration but the official action taken in response was often short-term with no qualitative improvement being achieved in the food items. With the start of Char Dham Yatra not far away, we request that the administration remain alert and active to ensure that local residents and visitors from across the nation are provided better and safe food items.”