On Char Dham route, eat at your own risk

DEHRADUN: The Char Dham yatra, which began on May 9, has already recorded footfall from over 45,000 pilgrims, with the number expected to be much higher than in the recent past. However, despite incidents of food-related diseases in the past and the rising level of adulteration in items along the route, the Food Safety Office has still not deployed a food and drug analyst to step up vigilance over edible items and medicine sold on the route.

A food sampling test by scientists from the Dehradun-based Society for Pollution and Environmental Conservation (SPEC) in 2005 had revealed that the level of adulteration in food and medicines along the route was an astonishing 76%. This figure has risen to 83%, according to a similar study in 2015. Despite this, the food and health departments are yet to take any steps to prevent diseases among pilgrims, with food department offcials yet to receive the results of the sample survey from 2015.

In 2015, on the Kedarnath-Badrinath route, 461 out of 561 samples (82%) and on the Yamunotri-Gangotri route, 387 out of 469 samples (82%) were found to be adulterated. The lowest adulteration level found on the Kedarnath-Badrinath route, at 62% in Chopta and Chamoli, while the highest, a shocking 100%, was recorded on the Yamunotri-Gangotri route at Kaudiyala, Gangori, Bhatwari and Gangnani.

However, the food safety officers in the districts through which the pilgrims pass have not taken action against any pharmacy, shop or hotel from where the adulterated samples were collected. The process of collecting samples from the routes and sending them to the nearest testing laboratory in the state, at Rudrapur, takes over a week. The shoddy infrastructure at the laboratory itself — four-hour power cuts every day, a single computer and manpower constraints — leaves little scope for proper analysis.

Although the Rudrapur laboratory has accreditation from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the post of food and drug analyst is currently vacant, after the previous incumbent, who was on deputation from Ghaziabad, UP, returned to his parent cadre on April 30 after completing a year.

"Till now the post of food analyst was always filled by people on deputation. However, this time through UPSC an individual has been appointed but he has been given a month to join the lab, so it is up to him to decide his date of joining. The post of drug analyst is also vacant at the moment," said Rajinder Singh Rawat, designated officer, Food Safety Office, talking to TOI.

"Considering how massive an affair the Char Dham yatra is, and the other arrangements the state government makes for it every year, the department should deploy mobile food and medicine sampling vans. The very visibility of these vans would, at least, create fear among adulterers. Rather than waiting another year for reports of diseases like diarrhea and food poisoning among pilgrims, action like this is bound to have an impact," said an FSSAI official, talking to TOI.