The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Bench, on Thursday directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to consider the applications of flavoured water manufacturing units for the grant of licenses to them within a month.
Last March the tribunal took suo motu cognisance of a news report highlighting violations of certain norms by packaged water drinking units. Pursuant to a direction of the tribunal, all flavoured units were closed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for want of license from the FSSAI. Hence, International Herbal Water Foundation and others filed appeals challenging the closure orders.
In an earlier hearing, the TNPCB said the units should get the licences from the FSSAI before obtaining consent from the TNPCB. Hence, the tribunal directed the FSSAI to consider the applications for licences within two weeks. When the matter came up for hearing before the Bench comprising Justice M. Chockalingam and Prof. R. Nagendran on Thursday, the counsel for FSSAI sought time to process applications.
Approval of flavoured drinks by FSSAI should consider scientific facts and clear doubts of the consumers - in what way it is better than other drinking water.
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