Jalandhar, September 14
Punjab might have been known for the purity of its milk and ghee, which flowed in its prosperous villages. But those who have seen the changes in the past few years would know the vision of a prosperous state has long been slipping away.
With a dramatic rise in the number of failed milk samples being churned out every month, concerns over adulterated milk in the district are increasing with each passing day.
There are about 400 dairies in Jalandhar. The total milk production in the district is about 8 to 10 lakh litres per day. While the Dairy Department says 80 per cent of this is consumed in homes, only about 20 per cent of the milk goes out into the market. So, the commercial produce is officially pegged at just 1.5 lakh litres per day.
The largest concentration of commercial dairies in the district lies at the Jamsher Dairy Complex which has 300 to 250 dairies. And while substantial dairy contributions are also made by Bulandpur, Sekhe and Nala villages, in total these three villages have about 50 to 60 dairies. Insiders say almost half the milk, which comes out of the dairies is adulterated and it has only intensified over time — the months before Diwali witness the most adulteration activity.
Other large scale commercial milk producing agencies in the city produce about 65,000 to 80,000 litres of milk per day.
As far as adulteration goes — there are various means, ingredients and techniques, which are there to adulterate milk. Various ingredients, including urea, are mixed up to create concoctions which go into bulk quantities of milk. Sources say the quantity of the milk mixed is subject to the intentions of the dairy owners. Some one third quantities, others half yet others even lesser.
However, the results are similar. Owing to consumption of urea in large quantities, there are deeply adverse affects on the health of the consumers. Even as the practice has been opposed by consumers and cases against various dairy owners have been pending from time to time, eventually they have all been let off. So far, except challaning, there hasn't been any concrete action on any of the establishments selling adulterated milk.
How it is done Across the district (dairies) the practice of mixing synthetic milk into milk is rampant. The concoction prepared for synthetic milk usually comprises of ingredients like - refined oil, Urea, washing powder (some even allege shampoo is mixed), water caltrop (singhara) oil, water.
Many dairy owners, it is said, mix the concoction using contaminated water and some prepare it right in the water or food troughs of the animals in their dairies.
There have been some complaints of milk tasting acidic in the district as well. In those cases, the health department says the samples are sent to be tested at the Bacteriology lab at Kharar.
It is said almost majority of the milk consumed by dhabas and cheap roadside vends is prepared in this way.
Barring synthetic milk, injecting cattle with banned injections to increase their produce is another illegal way to extract milk or make a shortcut to increased milk production which causes various health hazards for the cattle and for the people consuming that milk. Unhealthy cattle with diminished milk produce are often injected with banned vaccines for artificial lactation or to increase the amount of their milk produce. The procedure often results in increased milk produce for about six to seven months but is illegal and punishable.
Health hazards Speaking on the side effects of putting urea in milk, veterinary expert Dr Jatinder Bedi said, "This sort of milk is not safe for humans. But many of us are consum,ing it and actually paying for it too. Increased urea is causing increased amounts of uric acid in our bodies and is also causing a plethora of kidney problems in us. Especially surprising is the rate at the children are getting increased uric acid and kidney troubles these days. Most of us might not even know we have been consuming adulterated milk for years."
Failed samples While the frequency of sampling has slightly increased in the past few years, the number of failed samples has also dramatically risen.
While from 2010 to 2012 only 37 samples failed, in the past three this year months alone, 26 samples failed. In the run up to Diwali, many more samples shall be collected from all sorts of establishments.
In the month of June this year 18 samples failed, in July 13 samples failed and in August 15 samples failed. The report of the samples taken in September is yet to arrive.
Notably, until July this year, about 97 samples had been taken out of which 56 failed.
Previously, of the 101 samples taken in the district from 2010 to 2012, 37 failed. Of the total 20 milk samples taken from both urban and rural milk vendors by the Health Department in 2012 (January to September), five failed. In 2011, the Health Department took a total of 62 milk samples, out of which 22 failed.
In 2010 (between March 15, 2010, and August 18, 2010), 19 samples were taken by the health and dairy development board food inspectors, out of which 10 failed.
Punitive action There are two kinds of categories in which failed samples are categorised - substandard and unsafe. The unsafe ones are those which are unfit for human consumption and have foreign particles which might even be fatal to human beings if consumed.
Owners whose milk samples have been unsafe got to court for a trial. Punishment to them might range from 6 months to 5 years in jail depending upon the degree of adulteration.
The substandard ones are those which are low fat or comprise relatively lesser adulteration - like mixing of benign substances which dilute the milk but do not make it harmful. The owners of the substandard samples are fine, again, according to the degree of adulteration in the milk. Fine might range from 10,000 to 50,000.
Until July this year, so far the health department has collected 2 and a half lakh in fines from various owners for milk adulteration.
FSSA and samples under Health Dept purview While the Health Department has been operating as per the Food Safety Standard Act (FSSA), 2006, (implemented in Punjab in August 2011), before the implementation of the FSSA, the Dairy Department was working in tandem with the Health Department under the Food Adulteration Act, 1954. After FSSA implementation powers to conduct sampling now lie only with the health department.
Sources say since the implementation of the FSSA, the law is being soft on offenders and most samples which are even unfit for human consumption are let off by being labeled merely substandard. Blaming the Health Department-dairy owners' nexus for rampant milk adulteration in the district, the sources say under the FSSA, the DC or the SDM delegates a food inspector to look into the matter and offenders are simply challaned even when they should be taken to court.
A case in point is nine milk vendors (seven from Jamsher Dairy Complex and the rest from the city) who were taken to court few years ago by the Dairy Development Board after their samples failed. Sources say the law was later tweaked to facilitate the dairy owners. "A complaint was registered against the erring milk vendors by food inspectors of the Health and Dairy Departments in the Sessions Court in 2010, but ironically, some dairy owners got their samples rechecked later and they were mysteriously declared passed," said sources.
Offenders enjoy impunity Sources say the Health Department's sampling or punitive drives lack steam and actions against dairy owners is not as strict as it should be.
The ideal solution for the situation, it is said, is the government stepping up pressure on health department to punish erring dairy owners but that is not being done.
Sources allege trucks full of skimmed milk or milk powder have entered dairy complexes in the city many times but they have never been intercepted. Meanwhile, with passing years, the dosage of banned injections to cattle has also seen dramatic increase which is fatal for both humans and the animal. While formerly owners only permitted 5 to 10 ml of vials being injected to animals, now cans full of banned medicines are being empties into animals via big vaccines but no one does a thing about it, allege sources. They also say it is not known from where such big quantity of banned vaccines is being procured.
Meanwhile, in general the rate of water and skimmed milk adulteration in milk is said to be highest.
Dairies Department With the department no more doing sampling, it is conducting awareness workshops for various people and consumers and sellers of milk in rural as well as urban areas. Development officer, Dairies Department, Wariam Singh says, "For people to buy healthy milk, they need to be aware about the sort of milk they should consume. We conduct regular awareness camps in various areas and union, locality improvement committees which want us to hold camps in their areas are free to contact us."
People can contact the Dairies Department at
0181-2233441.
Health view District Health Officer Dr Balwinder Singh said, "It's been one year and four months since I took charge in Jalandhar and we have only been ensuring that no establishment indulging in milk adulteration is spared. We are not making any consideration for any establishment - big or small - and sampling is regularly being done every month to make sure that adulterated milk is not in circulation in the district. Moreover, the frequency of sampling has only increased recently and it indicates we have got strict."
Speaking about rare punitive action against offenders, and only fines being common, the DHO says, "The Act (FSSA) has recently been implemented and strict punitive action is invited only if the the milk is totally unsafe for consumption. Milk adulteration is mostly of the sub-standard category. And for the coming festive season, our target is to aim at maximum reforms and sampling to ensure that people consume proper milk and milk products, which do not pose any danger to their health."
