Contrary to the picture presented by the Government about convenient and secure pilgrimage and tourism experience in Uttarakhand, the findings of a food item sample testing exercise conducted by a group of scientists has yet again presented an alarming picture of food adulteration especially on the Char Dham Yatra route. After laboratory analysis of food item samples, the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) has stated that more than 80 per cent items sold on the Yatra circuit are adulterated.
Addressing the media at the Press Club, SPECS secretary Brij Mohan Sharma said that the society had collected 1143 food samples with the help of trained volunteers in the month of May-July 2017 from 47 places along the Char Dham Yatra route in Garhwal. “Out of 1143 samples 983 samples were found adulterated. It is astonishing that salt has no Iodine. We claim tourism to be the economic backbone of our fledgling state and yet, as the results of the testing clearly prove; there is serious doubt and lacuna in our tourism aspirations and approach. In the state’s tourism policy and practice, one of its more important pillars - food or boarding - stands largely ignored. Never mind the beautiful mountain landscape and the spiritual experience, at the physical level, what we are offering to the pilgrims and tourists is sheer third-class food and boarding, with a big question mark on its quality,” said Sharma. He informed that on the Gangotri route, overall 85 per cent or 241 out of 282 samples were found to be adulterated. The adulteration in samples was found to be 100 per cent at Gangori-Bhatwari-Gangnani, 93 per cent in Narendranagar, 87 per cent in Gangotri, 71 per cent in Agrakhal, 65 per cent in Chamba, 90 per cent in Tehri, 73 per cent in Dharasu, 60 per cent in Dunda, 87 per cent in Uttarkashi and 64 per cent in Harshil.
On the Yamunotri route, the overall rate of adulteration in samples was 84 per cent with 181 out of 213 samples testing positive for adulteration.
The adulterationin samples was found to be 86 per cent in Rajpur and at Kempty, 85 per cent in Yamunotri and Mussoorie, 88 per cent in Badkot, 80 per cent at Nainbagh, 75 per cent at Hanuman Chatti and 86 per cent in Naugaon.
On the Badrinath-Kedarnath route, the overall adulteration in samples was found to be 86 per cent with 561 out of 648 samples testing positive for adulteration. The level of adulteration in samples was found to be 95 per cent in Badrinath, 94 per cent in Kedarnath, 91 per cent in Rudraprayag and Gopeshwar, 90 per cent in Nandprayag, 88 per cent in Rishikesh, Pipalkoti, Guptkashi, Joshimath, Govindghat and Srikot, 86 per cent in Chamoli, Gauchar and Agastyamuni, 85 per cent in Dehradun, Tilwada and Mana, 84 per cent Devprayag and Karnprayag, 83 per cent in Kaudiyala and Byasi, 82 per cent in Srinagar, 80 per cent in Bhaniawala, 78 per cent in Doiwala and 75 per cent in Chopta. A total of 23 food items including turmeric, red chilli, coriander, black pepper, clove, garam masala, milk, paneer, desi ghee, mustard oil, refined oil, tea, coffee, Prasad sugar, honey, tomato, green chilli and vinegar were tested in the campaign.
Sharma further informed that the sample testing campaign was also supported by Just Open Yourself society and lok Sanchar Vikas Samiti.