Health Dept team seals two factories

While one was preparing substandard spices, the other was manufacturing pickles

The Health Department busted three factories preparing unhygienic food items during a raid today. The team, led by District Health Officer Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon, sealed two masala factories in Dhab Basti Ram area.
One of the busted factories, Kalia Grinders, was preparing spices locally but selling it as ‘packed in Denmark’.
Dr Kahlon said packets saying ‘packed in Delhi’ were also recovered from the godown. “The factory was grinding low-quality ingredients to make turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilly powder but was selling it as either imported or from renowned manufacturers,” he said. Five samples were collected from the factory and it was sealed.
The team sealed another grinding factory owned by Paramjit, who ran after shutting down the godowns. “The police even raided his residence but he could not be traced,” said Dr Kahlon adding that they had sealed the factory.
An unhygienic pickle factory, Titu Aachar Wala, was busted in Ram Bagh area. Dr Kahlon said lemons and other vegetables found at the factory were rotten and algae had grown in the drums in which pickle was being prepared. “We have collected three samples and few drums of pickle were destroyed,” said Dr Kahlon.
The team later raided a sweet shop and a general store in Ram Bagh area and collected samples. Panic gripped the shopkeepers in Dhab Basti Ram and Ram Bagh area after the news of health team’s visit reached them. Most of them fled from the market after shutting down their shops.
Dr Kahlon said the way shopkeepers ran established that there was something fishy about their businesses. He said they would conduct more raids in the area to check sale of substandard materials.