Ranchi: The state health department has threatened punitive action against Shuddha Neera for allegedly selling contaminated bottled water in jars, the move coming a day after International Master (IM) and FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs) trainer Neeraj Kumar Mishra found worms inside a sealed 20-litre jar supplied by the firm.
Assistant chief medical officer (ACMO) Neelam Choudhary said Mishra needed to lodge a complaint before the department could initiate action on the water supplier.
"Supply of contaminated water is a serious crime and attracts severe punishment under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. If proven guilty, the supplier may be jailed for up to seven years. Please request the consumer to file a complaint before me on Monday."
Explaining the process, Choudhary said, "After a complaint is lodged, we will collect water samples and send it to the food testing laboratory at Namkum. Once the report is out, we will write to the health department to take action. Once the department okays our request, a case will be filed before the chief judicial magistrate. The entire process takes around two months."
Mishra (49) welcomed the health department's assurance and said he would do the needful.
"Customers pay Rs 35 for a 20-litre can believing the water is safe for consumption. But unknowingly, they drink polluted water laced with worms and insects which could lead to various ailments. Many people ignore it and remain silent. But I want to pursue it in public interest. I will definitely knock on the doors of the assistant medical officer on Monday," Mishra, a resident of Ashutosh Residential Complex on Old HB Road, said.
He had shifted to the state capital from Jamshedpur in January to set up a chess cradle for youngsters.
Bipin Shaw, the manager of Suddha Neera bottling plant at Chuna Bhatta in Kokar, said he had warned his staff for the lapse.
"The staff might have refilled the bottle without cleaning it properly. I have more than 1,000 permanent customers in the city. I have been supplying water to a number of banks and police stations for the last five years but no one has ever complained," Shaw claimed.
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