Probe Use of Chemicals In 3 Mths: Court
Lovers of maidamade parotta, puri and other snacks, stomach this: The Madras high court has given the Tamil Nadu government three months to complete a probe to ascertain if chemicals such as alloxen and benzoic peroxide or chlorine oxide are added to maida (white flour), and take appropriate action if the answer is `yes.' While alloxen causes `insulin-dependent diabetes', benzoyl peroxide is used for bleaching flour, hair and teeth.
In his PIL, K Rajendran of In his PIL, K Rajendran of Vedaranyam wanted the court to direct the authorities to take action on his representation seeking complete ban on the manufacture, marketing and consumption alloxen-rich white flour. Use of certain chemicals, including chlorine oxide and benzoic peroxide, had been banned in the US, he said. The bleaching of flour destroyed nutrient values and dilatory fibre of wheat, he said. Whitening was dangerous and bleached flour was nothing but `white death', called `slow poison' by doctors.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, before which the PIL came up for hearing, gave the direction to the authorities. “The representation of the petitioner dated March 14, is to be examined. He has made his own research and inquiry, and if what is alleged is found to be correct, to proceed in accordance with law. Necessary action may be taken within three months,“ said the judges.
While pointing out that the petitioner had no expertise to prove the `undesirable chemicals as a white agent' in maida, the judges said: “The issue, however, is important and our concern is that the cause does not get damaged because the petitioner has no expertise in the field. At this stage thus, [we] only issue a direction to the authorities to examine the representation made by the petitioner on March 14, 2016.If what is alleged is found to be correct, proceed in accordance with law.“ According to the petitioner, alloxen-mixed maida is prepared after removing the roughage of wheat and dietary fibre starches. It is also bleached using benzoic peroxide or chlorine oxide. Citing the opinions of scientists and research scholars, he opined that alloxin was present in the bleached white flour, popularly called maida. Alloxin is used in healthy laboratory animals to induce diabetes, he said. The intake of food stuff made of maida would kill beta cells of pancreas, he added.
When he filed applications under the Right To Information (RTI) and submitted petitions, to find out the extent of presence of these chemicals in maida, the officials concerned did not respond for months, constraining him to file the present PIL, Rajendran said.
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