Water bottling plant sealed; 6th in 3 days

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 13

Health officials sealed an “illegal” water bottling unit in Anngarh on Saturday. They also conducted a surprise inspection at the famous Giani Tea Stall near the Bhandari Bridge where they found unhygienic conditions.

With this, the Health Department has sealed six food units in the district in the last three days. These include four water packaging units and two of bakery. Even as the efforts of the department are laudable, the condition of the food businesses have left the residents worried who demand harsh punishment for those who sell substandard products.

“It seems that nothing is safe in the local food market. Even the water which people buy at a high price is not safe. Surprise checks have revealed that milk and milk products are synthetic, thus unsafe,” said a resident, Balram Singh, adding that the Tandrust Punjab Mission of the state government had surely brought forth the dark side of the food business. 

Residents say stern action should be taken to curb adulteration. “If someone adds water to the milk, it is a crime, but if someone prepares and sells synthetic milk and milk products, it is a sin. Harsh steps should be taken against such people,” said another resident, Anirudh Kumar. 

Last month, the Health Department had seized a huge quantity of synthetic khoya, milk powder and other items.

District Health Officer Dr Lakhbir Singh Bhagowalia said, “It is because of the efforts initiated by the government that such illegal units are being busted. The residents should join hands with the department by informing us about such units in their areas so that we can take action.” 

Bhagowalia said court cases were regularly being filed against such units whose samples failed and are marked as unsafe for human consumption by the food testing lab.