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Bangladesh's Mobile Court to Resume Food Drives Next Week

Posted on: Thursday, 22 December 2005, 09:00 CST

Bangladesh's mobile court to resume food drives next week

DHAKA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's special mobile courts will resume food drives next week to check adulteration of different food items after a halt of two months.

"This time it is going to be a regular mobile court, which will conduct drives in different food shops and eateries like before," Magistrate Md Rokan Ud Doulah of the court was quoted by The Daily Star as saying on Wednesday.

The government formed four special mobile courts on June 14 in the wake of a series of reports on colossal food adulteration.

The mobile courts have conducted massive drives in the city eateries and food shops, and fined and imprisoned a good number of adulterators.

The government initiative had drawn a huge public attention and praise and the drives in no time spread elsewhere in the country.

Finding huge irregularities and unhygienic situation in the food sectors, the government has recently formulated a new law, the Pure Food Act, 2005.

The new law has the provision to fine the adulterators up to 200,000 taka (about 3077 US dollars) from 75,000 taka (about 1154 US dollars) and jail the guilty for a maximum of three years.

"The mobile court will act under the new law," said the magistrate.

According to the daily, the recent food drives had brought some development in the food sector in the city, but most of the issues remain the same due to the halt.

The situation remain the same in the fruits and vegetables markets. The farmers are using chemicals in the vegetables and fruits so that they ripe quickly.

But some sweetmeat shops have changed their approaches, which is a good sign. The use of harmful textile dyes in the sweetmeat has sharply fallen. Besides, some food producing companies are mentioning the expiry dates on their products.

"All this is the contributions of the food drives," said the magistrate. Some reputed restaurants have improved their kitchens, he added.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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