Dinakaran News

Shopping for fish, meat set to be better

A ROYAL MESS:Shopping at fish and meat section at Gandhi Market has been an unpleasant experience

Old slaughterhouse in Gandhi Market will be razed;new shops will come up there

Consumers visiting the fish and meat sections of the Gandhi Market in the city could look forward to better amenities soon as the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has decided to build new shops to accommodate the traders.

Built as part of the Gandhi Market, established in 1940, the shops behind the main Gandhi Market complex are in a dilapidated condition with decrepit walls and damaged roofs.

The fish and meat sections of the market have about 105 shops and the complex is situated amidst unhygienic surroundings being located right in front of the garbage dumping area. People had long been complaining over the lack of amenities and poor sanitary conditions at the market. Traders had been demanding construction of new shops to replace the existing ones.

The corporation has decided to build a new fish-cum-meat market section at the site where the old slaughterhouse had been functioning. A modern slaughterhouse is coming up at the adjacent site. The old slaughterhouse building would be demolished once the new facility is ready, paving the way for the construction of new shops for fish/meat markets. This way, the functioning of the fish and meat shops would continue unhindered until the new building was ready.

Corporation sources said the new market section would have better amenities. The civic body would soon draw up a design and project report for construction of the new shops. The corporation, a few months ago, had decided to renovate the Gandhi Market in phases.

TURIP

Giving a fillip to the corporation, attempts to improve the roads and drain network in the city, the State government has sanctioned Rs. 20 crore under the Tamil Nadu Urban Roads Infrastructure Project in 2013-14. The civic body had forwarded proposals worth Rs. 23.12 crore to the government and as per a government order, the corporation had been asked to bear the remaining Rs. 3.12 crore from its general fund.

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About 105 shops located amidst filth are dilapidated

There is proposal to provide modern facilities in new shops

Food poisoning suspected

At least 50 students staying at the university hostel on the Karyavattom campus were rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital on Tuesday night after some of them swooned and some others complained of nausea and vomiting, due to alleged food poisoning. The students developed uneasiness a few minutes after they ate dinner.

Medical college authorities said the condition of none of the students was serious and a majority of them recovered after they took medicines.

Kazhakuttom police said around 120 students took dinner from the hostel mess and around 50 students complained of uneasiness. Adequate arrangements had been made to take all the 120 students to the hospital for check-up.

Food Safety Joint Commissioner Anil Kumar K. told The Hindu that he had directed the District Food Safety Officer to inspect the food items served at the hostel to find whether the sudden illness was caused by food poisoning.

Activists seek more time for feedback on Biotechnology Bill

Farm activists across the country have demanded that the deadline to give feedback on the controversial Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill 2013 be extended to 90 days instead of 30.

The Rajya Sabha secretariat issued an advertisement on June 11 and sought public feedback in writing within 30 days.

“It is a highly controversial Bill and it could decide what all Indians eat. The Bill affects every citizen and encompasses issues related to human and animal health, environmental safety, livelihood, trade, and above all, food safety, food and seed sovereignty. So, to ensure meaningful public participation, we seek an extension,” said Krishna Prasad of Sahaja Samrudha.

The BRAI Bill seeks to set up a fast-track single window clearance system for genetically modified organisms.

The forum urged the state government to send its detailed feedback and play its part to ensure that such a Bill does not get passed.

“The way the Bill has been drafted and tabled disregarding widespread opposition and with basic intent of promoting biotechnology instead of regulating it, and protecting biosafety makes us term this India’s Monsanto Protection Bill,” said an activist.

Sugandha Garway of Anacon Labs on panel drafting food safety standards

Sugandha Garway, director, Anacon Laboratories Pvt Ltd, Nagpur, has been appointed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – the country's apex food regulator – as one of the members of the food standards harmonisation and development panel. Her role includes drafting food safety standards and submitting it to FSSAI by July 31, 2013.
She has been working in the field of food standards for ten years. She said, “It is good to be selected and be a part of the national panel for food safety standards, which is awaiting the assessment and approval of the higher authorities (which are mandatory for it to be implemented as an Act). This is matter of pride for me."
Garway, who holds a doctorate in chemical engineering, has a number of years of experience in the field of food safety. She would focus on drafting food safety standards for the non-alcoholic beverage segment, which includes water-based beverages (such as milk, flavoured milk, juices, sports drinks, carbonated drinks, etc.) and powder-based drinks (such as milk powder, juice, energy powder, etc.) The points drafted would mainly concentrate on three basic aspects of safety standards – hygiene, contamination and adulteration of products. The safety draft made are for each step of the process, from farm to fork (i.e. from raw material to finished product). According to Garway, efforts have been made for the formulation of standards that would match the international standard set by CODEX.
She said, “The most important thing is the implementation of these acts, in which consumers play an important role. It is consumers who should be aware of this malpractices and should be able to detect any flaws in the product.” Giving an example, she added that the half-litre milk pouch consumed in most households offers a great deal of scope for adulteration and contamination.
Usually, the person opens the disposal pouch by diagonally cutting one of its ends. This pack is recycled and resold in the market. Thus, the consumer should also be aware of such malpractices happening. Commenting on the current safety regulations, Garway said India has standards which are not concise in form and are scattered.
There are laws, but it is not necessarily implemented, because consumers and manufacturers still give money a higher priority. So, she believes that the implementation of the revised Act, which is based on safety standards for contamination, microbial activity and adulteration, will make major change to beverage industry.

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