LS demand ban on pesticide-carrying water, Coke, Pepsi

New Delhi, Aug 3: Members in the Lok Sabha demanded a ban on pesticide-carrying water, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other soft drinks also an immediate notification of the safety standards finalised by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Citing the latest study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), after Ramjilal Suman (SP) raised the issue during Zero Hour, the members from the opposition benches alleged that the safety standards had been finalised but were being blocked by the government because of opposition by the multi-national companies manufacturing these soft drinks.

Even the JPC Report on the issue summitted three years ago had not been implemented, they said.

BJP Deputy Leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra said Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss' reaction to the CSE study yesterday was highly condemnable as the Minister said there was no need for an inquiry.

The CSE study has found the presence of pesticides in 57 samples of 11 soft drinks from 25 different manufacturing plants of Coca-Cola and Pepsico were found to contain pesticides 24 times higher than the BIS norms.

In all an average of three to five different pesticides were found in all the samples, which also included Heptachlor, a pesticide banned in India.

Mr Malhotra said the government should impose a ban on the advertisements of the companies manufacturing the soft drinks. Mr Suman said these companies were playing with the lives of people, especially children, as the pesticides found in soft drinks were reported to be carcinogenic. The government should take the CSE Report seriously.

Mr Shailendra Kumar (SP) termed it 'slow poisoning,' while BJP's Santosh Gangwar (BJP) said the government should also fix standards for drinking water.

Mr N N Krishnadas (CPI-M) said the government should ask these companies to withdraw from the market.

Mr Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) said the government should impress upon the Indian Council for Medical Research to fix standards for sugar and concentrates, the two most important incredients in soft drinks.

Mr Brajesh Pathak (BSP) said milk and curd should be promoted instead of soft drinks, while Mr Devendra Yadav (RJD) called for introducing 'matha cola'.

Mr Prabhunath Singh (JD-U) demanded the setting up of another JPC that should inquire into the role played by the Health Minister and the Health Secretary in not notifying the safety standards.

Mr Prabodh Panda (CPI) called for stringent action against the companies violating the safety norms.

Mr Krishnaswamy (DMK) also wanted a ban on the soft drinks.

Mr Reoti Raman Singh (SP) congratulated CSE Director Sunita Narain for carrying out the study and the media for giving it wide publicity.

He demanded the immediate implementation of the JPC Report or constitution of another JPC that should be mandated to submit its report within three months.

Mr Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A) also demanded a ban on these companies.

Mr Mohammad Salim (CPI-M) said the government should immediately ban these soft drinks as it had done in Parliament House otherwise a message would go that it only wanted to save the MPs and not the public.

UNI

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