Established shops too losing sweetness: RTI

TNN, Oct 28, 2010

CHANDIGARH: It is not only the sweet shops located in city's periphery and villages that have been found selling adulterated stuff. Samples taken during the past one year has revealed that even popular outlets do not meet the set standards of hygiene and purity of milk products.

Samples collected from Gobind Sweets in Sector 46, Baba Diary in Sector 21, Sai Sweets in Sector 22, Choudhary Sweets in Sector 20, Highway Sweets in Sector 20, Chandigarh Sweets in Industrial Area, besides others, failed the purity test last year. This was revealed as part of information procured under RTI Act by activist RK Garg.

In August this year, raids were conducted on the premises of Talwar Sweets and Dairy and Gopal Sweets, Sector 15 and around 250 kg sweets being stored in unhygienic conditions were seized. Apart from this, authorities also issued challans to the offenders.

Between January and October, 2009, a total of 194 samples of sweets and other 'khoya' products were taken and out of this 36 did not pass the test.

"An impression is being given that shops located in colonies and villages have been found selling spurious sweets but the list of defaulters includes names of some popular stores, where scores of people prefer to shop," said Garg.

Meanwhile, a UT official said it had been made clear to the sweet shop owners' association that results of samples sent for testing were not the only factors for getting penalized. Unhygienic conditions in factories and kitchens of sweet shops and restaurants could be conclusively judged at the time of the surprise check itself, the official added.