KOLKATA: A joint team of Kolkata Police Enforcement Branch (EB) and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has zeroed in on a section of factories producing packaged drinking water without a valid licence.
The team is gearing up to take action against these with the help of state EB since some of these illegal manufacturing units are located outside the KMC jurisdiction.
In the past five days, a joint team of EB and KMC raided several shops and manufacturing units producing packaged drinking water in and around Kolkata.
During the raids, the joint team visited 23 units producing bottled water within the KMC jurisdiction. The joint team has planned a bigger operation next week when the EB is supposed to seal some of the manufacturing units which are running illegally.
The message was clear from the city mayor Sovan Chatterjee who had taken up the matter with the city police commissioner Rajeev Kumar and asked him to take stern measures against producers of spurious packaged drinking water.
“We won’t do anything in hurry. But we won’t let anyone escape. Both the KMC and the police will take action against the offenders,” Chatterjee said.
Atin Ghosh, member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC health categorically stated that the EB would have to be more active and ensure that the packaged water bottling plants were sealed so that the spurious water containers are prevented from flooding city markets.
“Once these unlicensed units are closed down, it will be easier for us to take action against the owners of the bottling plants who are producing packaged water with a licence, but quality of water has failed to pass our laboratory test,” said a KMC health department official.
According to the KMC official, the civic body can lodge a lawsuit against the errant owners according to a provision of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). If charges are proved against the owner of a packaged water producing unit, he/she can be imprisoned for six months and need to pay a maximum penalty of Rs 1 lakh.
According to a KMC health department official at this point of time, the civic body was more concerned with a section of packaged drinking water manufacturing units which are selling water to market with a label of prominent packaged drinking water brands.
“We have come to know about the existence of few such units but some among these are located beyond the KMC jurisdiction. We need to initiate a joint drive with the help from state EB and municipalities concerned. Most of these factories are either located in Sonarpur in the southern fringe or Rajarhat in the northern fringe,” said a senior KMC health department official.
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