Other States - Orissa   

Salt unfit for human consumption being sold in Ganjam

BERHAMPUR: The devious sellers of uniodised granular salt are having a good market during the Hindu month of Kartik due to traditional beliefs of aged Oriya women.

This uniodised salt is being easily marketed as the production and sale of iodised salt by the Huma-Binchanapalli Salt Production and Sales Cooperative Society (HBSPSCS) has stopped since more than a month. This cooperative was producing and marketing granular iodised salt in Orissa. Ganjam is the largest producer of salt in the State .

It is an irony that uniodised salt meant for industrial use or animal consumption is being openly sold out to humans by door-to-door sellers. Cycle rickshaw trolleys loaded with gunny bags of uniodised salt make are now making rounds of different streets of the city and rural areas of Ganjam district. Although the gunny bags have ‘not for human consumption’ boldly printed on them, no one seems to take notice of it. The bags clearly state that the salt in it is meant for industrial use or animal consumption. But the uniodised salt from these bags are being sold to households in kilograms.

The sellers are using the affinity of traditional Oriya women towards the granular salt. These women are yet to be compatible with the powdered iodised salt sold in packets. Moreover, many traditional women out of superstitious belief do not use powdered salt marketed in polythene packets during their month-long Kartik penance.

Surama Padhi, a 75-year-old woman of Lochapada, who is observing Kartik penance has the belief that granular salt is locally produced salt so it is to be used for religious ritualistic cooking. She is gullible enough to realise that uniodised granular salt being sold to her comes from outside the State. The greatest surprise is that despite much advertisement the general public is not conscious enough to oppose this sale of uniodised salt.

To the gullible housewives the sellers of this salt pass on a unique reason that their granular uniodised salt is tastier than the packaged iodised salt. The secretary of the HBSPSCS, Duryodhan Reddy alleged that due this open illegal sale of uniodised granular salt brought from outside the State the iodised salt produced by them had lost market.

The iodised salt costs more than the uniodised salt. Mr. Reddy said the authorities had till date not taken any strict action against sellers of uniodised salt to humans.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Paying homage
DAV Public School enters final in Heritage India Quiz
Andhra Bank to install closed-circuit cameras
Chief Minister inaugurates ham radio network
Book on Super Cyclone released
Special gallery
Engagements - Bhubaneswar
State police to have STF: CM
Salt unfit for human consumption being sold in Ganjam
Minister conducts raids on LPG outlets
Man accused in communal riots held
Man held
Two arrested on rape charge
‘Armed forces will not get involved in fighting naxals’

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu