The report of the State Food laboratory in Namkom sent to the Assistant Chief Medical Officer (ACMO, Ranchi, on Monday about the quality of oil samples collected by Ranchi (Sadar) SDO Bhor Singh Yadav on June 1 from Upper Bazaar area has raised serious concerns about the quality of food the city residents have been consuming.
It has also started building a fresh pressure on those who were vehemently opposing the working style of SDO as the FJCCI today distanced itself from the alleged adulterators.
Deputy Commissioner (Ranchi) Manoj Kumar said on Tuesday that those playing with quality of foods in district will not be spared at all. “They will be treated accordingly and their trade licenses will be cancelled once we go through the report and find them guilty. I haven’t gone through the report so far.
But whatever I have come to know through unofficial sources suggest that the (lab) reports are disturbing for all of us,” said Kumar.
Notably, Bhor Singh Yadav had conducted raids in four shops of Chhapadia Traders and Raj Traders in Upper Bazaar area on June 1, and one godown of Chhaparia Traders in Hindpiri area same night where stockpiles of mustard oil adulterating raw materials, couple of brand name stickers and other things were recovered.
The oil samples were taken from there and had been sent to State Food Testing laboratory for further testing, whose reports have been submitted to the ACMO on Monday.
“The samples sent to us have been found disturbing. Out of seven samples, six have been found poisonous, where as one has been found sub-standard. Traders were using palm oil and poisonous ingredients, even HCN which in distinct proportion forms something killing which is popularly known as Cyanide, to give it form of mustard oil. But I can’t say whom those samples were collected from.
I have sent my report to the ACMO and now the entire matter is in their court,” said State Food Analyst Chaturbhuj Meena on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is struggling to prove its presence in the State has taken no time to jump into the matter seeking apology from Urban Housing and Transportation Department Minister CP Singh who had allegedly stood for those traders who have been found adulterating food items and producing poisonous edible oils, primarily mustard oil. “Party strongly condemns Minister’s approach in entire matter who stood in favour of oil adulterators, and seeks apology from him,” said AAP State Convenor Rajan Kumar Singh on Tuesday.
Notably, CP Singh had attended the meeting organised by Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) a couple of days after the raids were conducted by SDO, in which the entire Chamber representatives had questioned SDO’s modus operandi and requested the Minister to support them. However, the Minister had made it clear during the meeting that he was not there to support anyone without any proof, and would only support the one with proof, be it SDO or the trade fraternity.
FJCCI President Vinay Agrawal said that the Chamber was never in favour of wrongdoers. “I have already made it clear that Chamber will never stand for any wrongdoer. But we have not gone through Food laboratory reports yet. Until any trader is found guilty beyond doubt, we are with them,” said Agrawal.