81 shopkeepers fined for selling adulterated food items in Palwal

A fine of Rs 17 lakh has been imposed on 81 shopkeepers and traders for selling substandard or adulterated food items for the past two years in Palwal. The report of the samples of sweetmeat items lifted during the Diwali festival this year is awaited.

The penalty has been imposed for samples whose laboratory report is available with the department concerned. As the scale of penalty is decided by the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner(ADC) at the time of disposal of the cases on basis of the test report, it is revealed a penalty of Rs 17 lakh on around 162 cases has been imposed as the samples found to be substandard or unfit for consumption.

With the highest amount of fine is Rs 2.5 lakh on owner of one of the sweet shops, the minimum amount is Rs 5,000. As 15 shopkeepers have been awarded a fine of Rs 50,000 each, one of the offenders has been handed over a penalty of Rs 1 lakh.

The samples of food items had been lifted from around 81 shops or traders during the routine checking or drive at the time of various occasions. While the report of the samples that were sent for testing at the state owned laboratory at Panchkula was available after nearly two to three weeks, the cases were referred to the office of the ADC, the authority deciding the amount of the penalty, said an official. As around 20 food samples have also been lifted in the past one festival month, their report is yet to come.

The unavailability of staff and machinery has led to a surge in sale of spurious and substandard food items, claims Varun Sheokand, who had filed a petition in the High Court over sale of spurious and sub-standard milk products in the region several years ago. Sources reveal that the absence of a full-time or regular official of the rank of Food Safety Officer (FSO) for the past several years has been a cause of concern and has led to an adverse impact on food sampling in the district. The official given the charge on additional basis is looking after the work in three districts of Jhajjar, Rewari and Mahendergarh. The post of FSO in Faridabad district is also held on an additional basis by an official posted at Sonepat.

The samples are collected regularly, says Dr Rajesh Verma, holding the charge of the FSO.