The Gauhati High Court stated in April of this year that Assam lacks a framework for instantly detecting the presence of pesticides in farm products and vegetables.
Digital
Desk: The Assam government on May 30, informed
the Gauhati High Court that it would conduct a state-wide testing drive to
determine excessive pesticide use in vegetables and other farm products.
In an affidavit, the state administration informed the high court
that 200 testing kits from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) had been
brought in for testing.
The government will submit periodic reports throughout the testing
procedure to help document the amount of pesticides identified in the test
samples.
Previously, the court issued a special order to the petitioners
who had disclosed the situation. The court also noted that if the petitioners
could give fresh information about the case, they would be permitted to file
complaints with the police.
The Gauhati High Court stated in April of this year that Assam
lacks a framework for instantly detecting the presence of pesticides in farm
products and vegetables.
The high court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over
the use of pesticides in vegetables that end up in the food chain when it made
the statement.
The Gauhati High Court had previously requested that the
commissioner of food safety and medicines administration in Assam, Abhijit
Baruah, be present at the hearing while hearing a PIL in the subject.
The top health and family welfare department official from Assam
was present while the court heard the case, as requested by the court.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that the Assam government was in talks with BARC to
bring in equipment to aid in the testing of farm produce for the presence of
pesticides.
The state administration informed the Gauhati High Court of this.
The high court had instructed the appropriate departments to inspect the
vegetables before they were brought into Guwahati in February of this year.
Based on a plea submitted
by Advocate Seema Bhuyan, the high court imposed a set of guidelines regarding
the use of pesticides in vegetables.
Various offices, including horticulture, legal sciences, and
health, were coordinated to go to great measures to examine the veggies
imported to the city before they entered the market and were sold to citizens.
The Gauhati High Court ordered the authorities to give a complete
report on this by March 3.
In a PIL, advocate Seema Bhuyan alleged that the state's crops and
vegetables were overly contaminated with heavy chemicals and pesticides that
were dangerous to human health.
A government team met with the district's Agriculture Development
Officers (ADO) in Goalpara, Assam, the month before to investigate the
extensive usage of herbicides and pesticides.
They met with the Coalition for Agri Development (AAI) and the
Affiliation of Horticultural Designers (AEA) at the Region Office's chamber in
the Locale Farming Office, Goalpara.
The crew paid visits to pesticide retail merchants in Dhupdhara,
Bikali ADO Circle, Tiplai, Rangjuli ADO Circle, Borpathar, Rangjuli ADO Circle,
Simlitola Bazar, Matia ADO Circle, Goalpara Town, and Agia ADO Circle.
Bandana Patgiri, Sr., ADO Directorate of Agriculture, Khanapara,
Assam; Sr. Rajib Kumar Bhuyan Kamal Das, PO Directorate of Agriculture,
Khanapara, Assam; Hitesh Bezbaruah, SDAO Dudhnoi; Bandana Patgiri, Sr., ADO
Directorate of Agriculture, Khanapara, Assam ADO Goalpara and Bipul Nath, ADO
Rangjuli, were present during the tour to several fertiliser retail dealers.
The team and members of the District Agriculture Office Goalpara
organised an awareness meeting with Matia ADO Circle traders and retailers at
Simlitola market. Pesticide indiscriminate usage and adequate pesticide sales
documentation were among the topics highlighted. Following that team, farmers
in various districts debated pesticide use in their farms.
The Central and state taskforces jointly checked fertilizer shops
for indiscriminate pesticide and chemical use and advised them to sell and use
pesticides in accordance with Central Insecticides Board and Registration
Committee (CIBRC) guidelines.
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