Feb 1, 2014

HC directs Khyber, Kanwal, Avon to deposit Rs 10 cr within 7 days

Cos get fresh notices for depositing further Rs 10 Cr each  
Srinagar, Jan 31: Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed Khyber, manufacturers of tonned milk, Kanwal Agro Food Industry and 'AVON Agro Industries Pvt Ltd', a New Delhi based company to deposit within seven days Rs 10 crore each with Director SKIMS.
Besides, a Division Bench comprising Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Tashi Rabstan also issued a notice to all the three companies to show-cause as to why, besides initial direction for depositing Rs. 10 crore each, they shall not be directed to deposit further Rs. 10 crore each in view of the report of the Director SKIMS, revealing deceases that can be caused by the material found in the adulterated brands of the companies.
The parties have also been asked to file undertaking before the Registrar Judicial within 7 days to the effect that they will not sell the products in dispute.
Besides, the court directed the Deputy Commissioners across the State to ensure that adulterated food items are not sold in the market in their respective districts.
The December 23 directions were issued by the bench after perusing documents submitted by Deputy Commissioner Food Safety Kashmir. 
The documents revealed that as per reports from Central Food Laboratory, Kolkata, tonned Khyber Milk (lot no. MD E S P 17), turmeric powder which is manufactured by AVON Agro Industries and saunf powder manufactured and marketed by Kanwal (batch-P21/B6) were found unsafe for human consumption.
The court was hearing a PIL--Sheikh Ayoub Vs State-- seeking implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 (FSSA) to check food adulteration in the state.
The order had come following a report by Central Food Laboratory Kolkata which found samples of some of the products manufactured by the companies as "misbranded, substandard and unsafe."
The laboratory report had revealed that a batch of toned Khyber milk manufactured in July was found to be unsafe, misbranded and substandard. The report also suggested that detergents were also found in the sample of the milk.
The laboratory had also declared unsafe the turmeric powder manufactured by Delhi-based AVON Agro Industries Private Limited because one of its samples showed the presence of Tartrazine (a colouring matter which can be cause of subjecting a consumer to fatal diseases).
Similarly, the laboratory had found Carmoisine and Tartrazine in samples of a 'saunf' (fennel seeds) powder processed and sold by south Kashmir based Kanwal Agro food industries and it was also declared to be "unsafe".

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