Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 5: In gross violation of court order, M/S Khyber Agro Farms Pvt Ltd today failed to remove its dairy products from the market and instead pumped 47,000 litres of milk and 2000 kilogrammes of curd into the market across Kashmir and Government failed to close down their operations.
Judicial Magistrate (Sub-Judge) Budgam, Imtiaz Ahmad Lone, had yesterday directed the Commissioner Food and Safety to close down the company or ensure that its products are taken off the market till the outcome of results of the samples to be taken from the market.
In his judgment, Lone had said: “The Commissioner Food and Safety shall immediately take all steps in ensuring that the convicted company is closed or products are taken off from the market unless Referral Laboratory Kolkata declares that the products of the convicted company as safe to consume and products manufactured by the convicted company do not harm the nation as is proved by the medical report submitted by the SKIMS.”
The company today continued its operations in violation of court orders and distributed 47,000 litres of Khyber Milk and 2000 kilogrammes of Curd besides other dairy products in the market across Kashmir.
The court yesterday imposed a penalty of Rs 9 lakh on Khyber and sentenced six month imprisonment to the accused company through nominated person for manufacturing milk products that contain detergent and was declared unsafe, misbranded and sub-standard by Referral Laboratory Kolkata.
In the meantime, no samples of the Khyber products were taken today as the Station House Officer (SHO) Budgam was not available. However, the Food Safety department will take these samples as per court direction and send them to the Referral Laboratory Kolkata.
The Commissioner Food and Safety, Mandeep K Bhandari, told Excelsior that they have received the court order last evening and they will comply it. He said that the court has passed these orders on the basis of complaint of the department itself. “We will comply with the court order. We are processing it and whatever court has ordered we will take action as per that”, he said.
On sampling of food items, the Commissioner said that it is a routine process and the department is doing it. “Wherever, court has directed for sampling, it will be followed as per the directions”, he said.
On declaring the Food Analyst Kashmir, Hamidullah Dar, as deadwood as per court directions for giving clean chit to the Khyber and other companies whose products were found adulterated, Bhandari said that there is paper work involved in it and the department will take action.
It may be mentioned here that the Court had said yesterday that Dar is either incompetent to conduct the tests or is dishonest and should be declared as dead wood and removed from the post.
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