Lok Sabha demand ban on pesticide-carrying water, Coke, Pepsi

New Delhi, Aug 3 (UNI) Members in the Lok Sabha today demanded a ban on pesticide-carrying water, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other soft drinks, and 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 Cokee. The content of pesticides was 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.

MORE UNI YJ vd ND1303