The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : House panel warns against adulteration of food

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

House panel warns against adulteration of food

Special Correspondent

Calls for close monitoring of food items imported to State

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as Kerala remains in the grip of the `avian flu' scare, the Estimates Committee of the Assembly has come out with a comprehensive and disturbing findings about the scale of adulteration that Keralites live with.

The committee report, tabled in the Assembly on Monday, has a long list of items that are subject to adulteration and include milk, chilly powder, coconut oil, meat, vegetables, fruits, salt, fish, bananas, fast food, ice-cream, chocolates and mineral water, among others.

In its report on the subject, the committee has called upon the Government to take urgent measures to ensure that the food items sold in the State conform to safe standards.

The committee, headed by Nalakath Soopy (IUML), has also called for closer monitoring of various food items imported into the State and strengthening of the analytical laboratories to ensure that the tests conducted by them are fool proof.

Salt influx

In another report to be tabled in the House on Monday, the Assurances Committee called upon the Government to ensure that the shutters of the Thanneermukkom Bund are opened and closed according to the high and low tides and the farming pattern in the Kuttanad area streamlined in such a way as to ensure that the livelihood interests of both the paddy growers and fisherfolk in the area are protected.

The committee, headed by Benoy Viswam (CPI), has also asked the departments concerned to look into the feasibility of the Kerala Agricultural University's suggestion for cultivation of paddy in the salt influx-prone polders of Kuttanad during September-October and in the remaining areas during October-November.

Local bodies

The Assembly Committee on Local Fund Accounts has called upon the Government to devolve enough powers to the local bodies to recover amounts due from persons responsible for losses incurring during the implementation of various projects.

The committee, headed by M. Murali (Congress) said the revenue recovery machinery of the Revenue Department was took weak to perform the said job on time.

The committee expressed gratification at the removal of the three-year time-bar on recovery of losses.

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