New Delhi: Expressing concern over the sale of plastic bottled water across the state even after the expiry date of its use, the Orissa High Court has observed that the department of consumer welfare, vested with the maintenance of food safety and standards in the state, seems to be afflicted with governance deficit.
Asserting that the manufacturers and retailers have a tendency to tamper with the labelling by erasing the date of expiry and fix a fresh date, a bench of Justice S K Panigrahi held that the state government must activate its enforcement authorities and surveillance mechanism to conduct frequent raids on such manufacturing units and shops wherein such expired goods are sold to consumers.
“The department of consumer welfare, vested with the maintenance of food safety and standards that protects consumers from unsafe food through formulation of science-based standards and their enforcement through analysis of food and market surveillance, seems to be afflicted with governance deficit,” the bench said.
The bench held that there is rampant use of bottled water across the state even after the expiry day of its use. “It is quite rampant in Odisha and elsewhere,” the bench said.
The Orissa High Court observed that some of the chemicals used in plastic manufacturing are strongly suspected to be disrupting hormonal balance. The bench said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) also warned about the possible carcinogenic properties of endocrine disruptors which can increase the chances of breast cancer, infertility and heart diseases.
The High Court held that plastic bottles when exposed to direct sunlight have the propensity to leach its chemical components into the water.
“Some of the chemical components like BPA (Bisphenol A) used in plastic and plasticisers are strongly suspected of disrupting our hormonal balance. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals is associated with around 80 diseases, including testicular cancer, obesity and reproductive disorders. Unborn and young children are particularly vulnerable because their hormone system is still at the stage of development,” Justice Panigrahi said.