Prevent entry of adulterated veggies into Guwahati: Gauhati high court

The Gauhati high court has directed the Assam chief secretary to convene a meeting on “preventing entry of highly contaminated vegetables containing unacceptable level of chemicals in Guwahati” with all the departments concerned and experts from different fields on or before March 1 and submit the measures to be adopted to give a practical shape to the attempt before the court on March 3.

A high court bench of Justice Achintya Malla Bujor Barua and Justice Robin Phukan was hearing a PIL filed by Seema Bhuyan over the serious issue of vegetables containing extreme levels of chemicals posing serious health hazards in the capital city.

The court stated, “All the experts of the respective fields present before the court are unanimous in their view that consumption of vegetables containing offending chemicals would cause serious effects on the health of the people consuming such contaminated vegetables. They are also unanimous in their view that an effective on-the-spot test on the incoming vegetables to Guwahati city can be made at the entry points to detect the presence of the offending chemicals, heavy metals etc. in the vegetables.”