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Milk adulteration: Bombay HC issues notices to Maharashtra govt, Centre

The PIL filed by homoeopath Sreedevi Mehta has sought direction from the court to the government to set up an agency to certify milk with a 'Milk Mark' which would ensure quality and a 24-hour helpline for complaints.

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The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued notices to agencies engaged in milk distribution in Maharashtra as also the state and the central government asking for their responses in connection with a public interest litigation seeking action against large scale adulteration of milk.

The PIL filed by homoeopath Sreedevi Mehta has sought direction from the court to the government to set up an agency to certify milk with a 'Milk Mark' which would ensure quality and a 24-hour helpline for complaints.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Roshan Dalvi issued notices to the Maharashtra Government, Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra Dairy Federation and Maharashtra Milk Distributors' Association and posted the matter for hearing on February 16.

The petitioners said that they became aware after reading news reports about mass adulteration of milk consumed by almost every household in Mumbai. They said that they were also shocked and aghast, to learn that the National Milk Survey found nearly 70 per cent of 1,791 samples picked up from 33 states and union territories failing to conform to Food and Safety Standards Authority of India.

"It is a very sorry state of affairs where unknowingly people are consuming urea, detergents, bad sugar, harmful chemicals and several other contaminants by drinking adulterated milk every day," the petition stated.

The petitioner urged that like AGMARK, which is a quality certification for agricultural products, milk must also be certified by a 'Milk Mark', certified by an authority at the state-level.

They also urged for a 24-hour helpline for people to register complaints so that raids, if necessary, are conducted and the guilty booked.

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