ரங்கத்தில் வைகுண்ட ஏகாதசி திருவிழா அன்னதானம் செய்ய விரும்புவோர் கட்டாயம் அனுமதி பெற வேண்டும் கலெக்டர் தகவல்

திருச்சி, டிச. 26: 

ஸ்ரீரங்கத்தில் நடைபெறவுள்ள வைகுண்ட ஏகாதசி திருவிழாவில், அன்னதானம் செய்ய விரும்புவோர் அதற்காக முறையாக அனுமதி பெற வேண்டும் என கலெக்டர் ஜெயஸ்ரீ தெரிவித்துள்ளார். 

பூலோக வைகுண்டம் எனப்படும் திருச்சி ஸ்ரீரங்கம் ரங்கநாதர் கோயிலில் வைகுண்ட ஏகாதசி விழா வரும் 31ம் தேதி தொடங்கி ஜன. 21 வரை நடைபெறுகிறது. இதில் முக்கிய நிகழ்வான சொர்க்க வாசல் திறப்பு ஜன. 11ம் தேதி அதிகாலை நடைபெறும். ராப்பத்து, பகல் பத்து என 20 நாட்கள் நடைபெறும் இந்த வைபவத்தில் நாடு முழுவதும் இருந்து லட்சக்கணக்கான பக்தர்கள் கலந்து கொள்வர். விழாவில் கலந்து கொள்ளும் பக்தர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்படும் அன்னதானத்தில் ஏதேனும் பாதிப்பு ஏற்பட்டு பக்தர்கள் அவதிப்படாமல் இருக்கும் வகையில், கலெக்டர் ஜெயஸ்ரீ சில நடவடிக்கைளை மேற்கொண்டு வருகிறார். 

இதுகுறித்து அவர் வெளியிட்டுள்ள செய்திக்குறிப்பில், 

வைகுண்ட ஏகாதாசி விழாவில், வணிகர்கள், காலாவதியான, கலப்படம் செய்யப்பட்ட, தப்பான குறியீடுகள் கொண்ட, தரம் குறைந்த, பாதுகாப்பற்ற உணவுப் பொருட்களை தெரிந்தோ, தெரியாமலோ விற்பனை செய்யவோ, இருப்பு வைக்கவோ கூடாது. பொருட்களில் வாசனை திரவியங்களை உபயோகப்படுத்தக் கூடாது. மேலும் கொசுக்கள், ஈக்கள் மொய்க்காத வண்ணம் உணவுப் பொருட்கள் பாதுகாப்பாக வைத்தல் வேண்டும். அன்னதானம் செய்ய விரும்புவோர், உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு துறையில் பதிவு செய்து உரிமம் பெற்ற பின்னரே அன்னதானம் செய்ய வேண்டும். மேலும் உணவு தயாரிக்கும் இடம் தூய்மையாகவும், சுகாதாரமானதாகவும் பராமரிக்கப்பட வேண்டும். சமையலுக்கு பயன்படுத்தப்படும் தண்ணீர் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்டதாக இருக்க வேண்டும். பாலிதீன் பாக்கெட்டுகளில் அடைக்கப்பட்ட தண்ணீர் விநியோகம் கூடாது. சமைக்கப்பட்ட உணவுகள் பாதுகாப்பாக மூடியிருக்க வேண்டும். 

தொற்றுநோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் சமையலுக்கோ, உணவுப் பொருட்களை பறிமாறவோ கூடாது. இவற்றை மீறுவோர் துறை ரீதியான நடவடிக்கைக்கு உள்ளாக நேரிடும். அதேபோல பொதுமக்களும் பாதுகாப்பான உணவு மற்றும் பானங்களை மட்டுமே உட்கொள்ள வேண்டும். பாக்கெட் செய்யப்பட்ட உணவு மற்றும் பானங்களை வாங்கும்போது அவை காலாவதியாகி விட்டதா என்பதை கவனித்து வாங்க வேண்டும். 

இவை குறித்த மேலும் விபரங்களுக்கும், அன்னதானம் அனுமதி பெறுவது குறித்தும் தகவல் பெற விரும்புவோர், மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மருந்து நிர்வாகத்துறை, (உணவுப்பிரிவு), ஜமால் முகமது கல்லூரி அருகில், துணை இயக்குநர் சுகாதாரப் பணிகள் அலுவலக வளாகம், ரேஸ்கோர்ஸ் சாலை (ஆயுதப்படை மைதானம் எதிரே), டிவிஎஸ் டோல்கேட், திருச்சி &620021 என்ற முகவரியில் நேரிலோ, அல்லது 0431&2333330 என்ற தொலைபேசியிலோ தொடர்பு கொள்ளலாம் என்று தெரிவித்துள்ளார். 

All agencies need to get food licence

Those planning to organise annadhanam at Srirangam Temple should obtain permission

All government agencies involved in running eateries, bars, noon meal centres and ration shops are required to register themselves and obtain licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 before February 4, Collector Jayashree Muralidharan has said.

Chairing a meeting with officials of government agencies including representatives of temples run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments and educational institutions here on Tuesday, Collector Jayashree Muralidharan pointed out that the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 had come into force across the country and it was essential that government agencies complied with the provisions of the Act.

The agencies should pay annual registration fee of Rs.100 and a fee of Rs. 2,000 for getting the licence, she said. The registration process can be carried out through the website www.fssai.gov.in

Ms. Muralidharan released a handbook of guidelines for traders and agencies engaged in food business.

She handed over licence certificates generated online to the godowns and ration shops of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation.

The district administration has announced that all those planning to organise annadhanams in view of the Vaikunda Ekadasi festival at the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple should obtain permission from the Food Safety officials.

Collector Jayashree Muralidharan, in a statement, said proper hygiene should be maintained at the place where the food was cooked for the annadhanams. The food should be properly preserved. Organisers would be responsible for any illness developed by people on account of consuming the food supplied by them.

They should desist from distributing water sachets.

She warned traders against stocking or selling adulterated products and products beyond their expiry dates. Food products should be stored in hygienic conditions. More details can be had from the Designated Officer, TN Food Safety and Drug Administration (Food Wing) by dialling 2333330.

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All agencies need to register before February 4

The registration process can be carried out through the website www.fssai.gov.in

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Food Safety Act takes effect in Northern Tamil Nadu

Samples can be taken from food joints even without a complaint 

To ensure consumers in this region had access to safe food products, the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety Wing) has ordered its officials in northern districts to immediately begin taking samples from all shops selling food and related products on a regular basis.

The Department directed the Designated Officers of the Food Safety Wing to initiate legal action against shops found selling sub-standard food products.

High Court order

Official sources told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the order came after the Madras High Court recently vacated its stay imposed on certain regulations of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, from taking effect in the northern districts that come under its jurisdiction (including districts in Western Tamil Nadu). The stay order had prevented the Food Safety Officials from taking samples.

A similar stay for the southern districts was vacated by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court a few months ago.

However, the case against these provisions was still pending. The orders were issued during a review meeting held in Chennai on December 20.

A senior official here said that the order would pave the way for the full fledged implementation of Food Safety Act. Hitherto, the Food Safety Wing only performed surveillance and issued licences besides registering food traders. Samples were lifted only based on specific complaints.

Now, the Food Safety Officials could take samples and conduct microbiological and chemical tests to ascertain its standards, even without receipt of a complaint.

If the testing results found the food to be unsafe, it will attract, depending upon the case, both a fine and imprisonment. If it was sub-standard/ misbranded, a heavy penalty would be levied.

Officials said that the Food Safety Wing in Coimbatore had a Designated Officer and 31 Food Safety Officers to enforce the Food Safety Act.

Coimbatore has one of the six food analysis laboratories in Tamil Nadu that are approved under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The others were in Chennai, Salem, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli and Madurai.

Sources said that so far, 2,500 licences and 6,500 registrations have been done for restaurants, eateries, bakeries and wholesale dealers of food products in Coimbatore. All food and food product enterprises must mandatorily register or get licences by February 4, 2014. A total of 22,500 licences and registrations were expected to be done in Coimbatore.

Milk Adulteration: Recommended and Existing Penalties

Milk is very important due to its special nutritive value and important role for human and animal health. Adulteration is practiced either to substitute cheaper ingredients in milk in order to earn more profit or to impress the buyer to think the product is more valuable or of better quality. Adulteration is a process, in which quality of the milk is deteriorated by adding water or any other supplement into it. A Glass of 250ml of unadulterated milk encompasses 146 kcals; 8gms of fat and protein alongside 257mg of calcium. Calcium and other supplementary vitamins and minerals in milk make it a vital portion of a healthful diet for people of all ages.

According to reports of Indian Council of Medical Research, “milk adulterants have hazardous health effects. The detergent in milk causes food poisoning and other gastrointestinal complications. Its high alkaline level can also damage body tissue and destroy proteins.”

Milk is most commonly diluted with water – this not only reduces its nutritional value, but contaminated water can also cause additional health problems. Other synthetic adulterants used are mainly starch, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), sugar, urea, hydrated lime, sodium carbonate, formalin, and ammonium sulfate, and these adulterants may causes impairment, heart problem, cancer or even death. While the immediate effect of drinking milk adulterated with urea, caustic soda and formalin is gastroenteritis, the long-term effects are far more serious and are discussed in coming text.

Urea can lead to vomiting, nausea and gastritis; it is particularly harmful for the kidneys. Formalin can cause more severe damage to the body like liver damage. Caustic soda harms the mucosa of the food pipe, especially in kids. The chemicals which contain sodium can act as slow poison and prove dangerous for those people who are suffering from hypertension and heart ailments. Impact of drinking milk adulterated with these chemicals is worse for the health of children.

Existing laws regarding food adulteration

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in January 2011, collected samples from different cities throughout country, which revealed a shocking truth that; out of total 1,791 random samples taken 1,226 samples, were found not fit for human consumption. It means on national level 68.4 percent of milk samples were found adulterated. In states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh 88% of milk samples were found adulterated. The above mentioned study clearly indicated presence of adulterants like fat, ‘solid not fat (SNF)’, sugar, starch, urea, detergents, formalin etc. in milk samples.

Section 272 of the Indian Penal Code states: “Whoever adulterates any article of food or drink, so as to make such article noxious, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.”

While section 16(g) of  Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 if anyone found guilty of adulteration shall be punished with imprisonment which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to three years, and with fine which shall not be less than one thousand rupees; in addition to penalty under section 6.

Recommendation of Supreme Court

In a PIL filed by a group of citizens, led by Swami Achyutanand Tirth of Uttarakhand, a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia recommended the Centre and the state governments of states to amend the sentence from six months to life imprisonment and also sought framing of a comprehensive policy on the production, supply and sale of healthy, hygienic and natural milk. Amongst all Indian states, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Odisha had already made adulteration punishable by life imprisonment.

Rajasthan claims that, it contributes almost 12.5% of the total milk produced in the country; and state punish imprisonment of upto six years along with a heavy fine upto Rs 6 lakh. There are also provisions for life imprisonment in case, if someone dies due to adulteration in food products.

Orders of apex court for increasing the punishment for milk adulteration from maximum three years to life imprisonment, and the amendment in the production and supply of the milk products, are appreciable and should be considered seriously by states throughout country. Suggested amendment will help in decreasing adulteration in milk for sure.

Tobacco products seized

A consignment of Hans chewable tobacco, a banned product in Tamil Nadu, despatched from Bangalore in a private bus was seized by Erode police on Tuesday.

On information, a team led by Erode DSP Periaiah scrutinised a parcel in the bus and found the consignment containing the tobacco without the address of any consignee. “This is the first time we have found tobacco sent in a consignment without address. So far, we had only seized tobacco products from godowns,” the DSP said. According to G. Karunanidhi, District Officer for Food Safety and Drug Control, the value of consignment of the seized tobacco was close to Rs. 1.9 lakh. “We will wait for a month and if there are no claimants, the seized tobacco would be destroyed.”

Food adulteration on rise in Jammu & Kashmir, govt finally steps in

Srinagar: After a prolonged public outcry and recent revelations regarding three companies allegedly involved in the adulteration of food products, a division bench of Jammu and Kashmir led by Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Tashi Rabistan has asked three business house, two Kashmir based and one Delhi based, to deposit Rs 10 crore each with the director of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science for selling adulterated food products in the state. 

The court order followed a report by the Central Food Laboratory (CFL), Kolkata, which said the products are “misbranded, substandard and unsafe". “In our considered view, at this stage we deem it appropriate to direct the owners or managing directors of the above said companies or corporations to deposit the amount of Rs. 10 crores each with the Director SKIMS within two weeks,” the division bench said after clubbing the matter with a public interest litigation filed by Sheikh Ayub on the implementation of the Food Safety Act, 2006. 

The Omar Abdullah government has finally decided to step in. Agencies. The Omar Abdullah government has finally decided to step in. Agencies. The directive comes as a major embarrassment to Kashmir's fledgling corporate sector as they had recently denied using any hazardous agents in their products and threatened to move court against the state officials. They had alleged that the government officials were maligning the image of their products. 

The three corporate houses including two big Kashmir-based brands, Kanwal Agro Food Industries and Khyber Agro farms, had denied any adulteration of their food products. A Delhi-based manufacturing group Avon Agro whose turmeric powder was also found to be adulterated has also been asked to deposit the amount before the prosecution in the cases is started. Director Marketing and Sales Kanwal Agro Food Industries Farooq Amin had recently termed the reports of adulteration as a conspiracy to malign the name of the company. “Some vested interests in the administration are hell-bent to malign our image. That is why they have sent samples to Kolkata even though those samples were cleared by Public Analyst Kashmir Province,” he said. 

Food adulteration is not a new phenomenon in the Valley. In fact doctors say the occurrence has recently seen a phenomenal rise, which has led to a rise in patients with gastric problems in Kashmir. But the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has time and again failed to check the standards of food products in the Valley. “Adulterated food is the basic reason behind the rise of cancers in Kashmir valley. 

These people should be put behind bars, and their manufacturing units closed down. China hanged a man three years back for doing the same thing,” Kashmir -based gastroenterologist Dr M S Khuroo told Firstpost. “It is unacceptable.” People in Kashmir were shocked on December 16, when the Srinagar Municipal Corporation asked people to refrain from using ‘Kanwal Saunf’ powder which was found to contain harmful colouring agents which can even cause cancer. 

The spice brand is manufactured by Kanwal Agro Food Industries based in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Similarly two days after the warning, the Food and Drug Department found traces of detergent in milk products of the Valley's top brand Khyber. The milk produced by the company is distributed throughout the valley. 

Dr Shafqat Khan, an official at the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, said they had randomly picked up a sample of Kanwal Saunf powder manufactured by the Kanwal Agro Food Industries and send the product for analysis at Central Food laboratory Kolkata. “It turned out that the powder contained colouring agents like Carmoisine and Tartrazine which can cause serious health hazards including cancer,” Khan said. 

The western world had banned the use of Carmoisine and Tartrazine in food products after scientific studies showed that these chemicals were responsible for the rise in the number of cancer cases. In its first ever country-wide survey on milk adulteration conducted in year 2011, the Food Safety Standards Authority of India found that of the total 1,791 samples tested throughout the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, at least over 68 per cent i.e. 1,226 samples were either diluted with water or mixed with harmful detergents. It also said that 83 percent of milk produced and consumed In Jammu and Kashmir is contaminated. Despite a government agency confirming the adulteration at such a massive scale, surprisingly, the topic met with a tepid response from state government. 

Experts had warned that the consumption of contaminated milk across the state could lead to multiple gastroenteritis problems, food poisoning, endocrinology and several other chronic diseases. “Hazardous substances like detergent, starch, soda, glucose and other synthetic substances were being mixed with milk which becomes harmful for human consumption,” the report had said. But finally the state government seems to have woken from the deep slumber. 

Authorities have now initiated legal proceedings for violation of Food Safety and Standard Act and the government is likely to give a nod for prosecuting Kanwal Agro Farms and Khyber Industries. “Under the Food Safety and Standard Act, if the two companies are proven guilty of indulging in malpractices in manufacturing process, the law demands that they should either be fined or their licenses should be cancelled,” Kashmir’s advocate general, Mohammad Isaac Qadri said. Kanwal Agro Food Industries is the leading spice manufacturer in Kashmir with an annual turnover of Rs 100 crore which supplies spices to nearly 30 countries across the globe while Khyber Agro Farms is part of the Trumboo family’s multi-billion business empire in Kashmir whose present CEO Umar Trumboo has various business interests from agro to healthcare and hotel industry. 

Last week the State Human Rights Commission took notice of the case and asked the owner of Khyber to appear before the commission in person for what it termed as a ‘case of genocide’. 

Food cos fined Rs 10 cr for adulteration

Srinagar

Following reports of substandard food products sold by leading business groups, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court today directed three leading companies to deposit Rs 10 crore each. 

A division bench of Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Tashi Rabistan directed Delhi-based spice company A-1 Agro Products and Srinagar-based Khyber and Kanwal Spices groups to deposit the amount in the account of the Director, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, within two weeks.

The court is hearing a public interest litigation seeking implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, in the state to check adulteration.

The orders were passed days after the health wing of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) decided to initiate legal action against several leading business groups found selling substandard food items.

The products were found substandard after the SMC for the first time sent samples to referral laboratories outside the state for quality check.

SMC Health Officer Shafqat Khan said they had found food products such as "saunf" powder of the Kanwal group and the Khyber-packaged milk unsafe for consumption.

He said the health wing had collected more than 120 samples of food products so far from the city markets and strict action under the FSSA would be initiated against those violating the rules. He said the adulterated food products would also be lifted from the city markets.

While Khan said the locals should refrain from consuming food products declared substandard, he said people should also contact the SMC in case of any complaints in this regard so that timely action could be taken.

He said the SMC health wing would continue with the drive against adulterated food items.

In a soup

The High Court passed the orders after food samples of the Khyber and Kanwal groups collected by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation were found to be substandard.

Posts of food inspector - Scrap recruitment test, demand Cong, CPI

Chandigarh, December 25

The Congress and the CPI today urged the state government to scrap the examination conducted to recruit food inspectors in view of the ongoing controversy. 

It was reported today that all candidates who appeared in a particular centre had been declared successful whereas from other centres only eight to 10 candidates have cleared the test.

PPCC spokesman Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the examination was conducted in a haphazard manner denying opportunity to thousands of candidates who failed to appear because of traffic jams. 

He said the SAD-BJP government which had made tall promises such as unemployment allowance before the assembly elections should at least conduct recruitments in a fair and transparent manner.

Without realising that how such a large number of candidates would arrive in Chandigarh from places like Ferozepur, Fazilka, Dera Baba Nanak etc for the test, the Punjab Government went ahead with the test which was reportedly rigged at certain centres.

CPI leader Dr Joginder Dayal said irregularities in the test had been proved. He said the state government, which collected about Rs 10 crore from candidates as application fee should first refund the money and reconduct the test without charging anything from them. 

On behalf of the state government, Panjab University had conducted the test to recruit 461 food inspectors on December 15. Of the 1.92 lakh candidates, only 1.20 lakh could appear in the test because many were caught in traffic jams. The result of the test was declared yesterday.

அனுராதாவை மாற்றியது யார்?

சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் டாக்டர் அனுராதா, ஆளுங்கட்சியைச் சேர்ந்த சதாசிவம் என்பவரது சேகோ ஃபேக்டரியில் ஆய்வு செய்திருக்கிறார். அந்த ஆலையில் ஜவ்வரிசியை வெள்ளை நிறமாக மாற்ற விஷத்தன்மையுள்ள ஒயிட்னர் கலக்கப்பட்டிருப்பது தெரிந்துள்ளது. சம்பந்தப்பட்ட ஆலை மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க காவல் துறையிடம் புகார் கொடுத்துள்ளார். ஆனால், சேகோ ஆலை மீது காவல் துறை எந்த நடவடிக்கையும் எடுக்கவில்லை. மாறாக, டாக்டர் அனுராதா நாமக்கல் மாவட்டத்துக்கு மாறுதல் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார். மாற்றத்துக்குக் காரணம் உள்ளூர் அமைச்சர்தான் என்கிறார்கள்.