Supreme Court issues notice to Centre

New Delhi, Aug 4 (UNI) The supreme court today issued notices to the centre returnable within four weeks on a PIL challenging its decision to import wheat despite having surplus domestic production and also its move to 'dilute' health standards by accepting Australian wheat containing pesticides much beyond permissible limits rendering it unfit for human consumption.

Counsel for the petitioner Vandana Shiva pleaded before the court that Chennai port committee report has confirmed that the first consignment containing five lakh metric tonnes of wheat contained pesticides which if consumed can cause serious diseases and fungal infections in the human body. The Australian wheat contained 500 per cent more pesticides than what was required and still the consignment has been accepted by the food corporation of India (FCI) endangering public health.

According to the petitioner, the UPA government had taken a decision to import 57 lakh tonnes of wheat at a time when Rabi crop was being harvested in the country and the domestic production of the cereals was expected to be 730.6 lakh tonnes against the total domestic consumption of 716.1 lakh tonnes of wheat.

The petitioner has alleged that the Union Agriculture Ministry was permitting private players to make huge profits ignoring the public interest altogether.

Wheat is available in India at Rs 700 per quintal while inferior quality wheat containing pesticides and chemicals was being imported at an exorbitant rate of Rs 1000 a quintal. The petitioner also challenged the government claim that this was being done to offset the impact of poor procurement of wheat during the season coupled with falling buffer stocks.

A bench comprising Mr Justice K G Balakrishnan and Mr Justice D K Jain decided to examine the whole issue after having prima facie evidence that there was something really fishy in the entire deal.

The wheat is to be imported from countries like Australia and Russia.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium accepted the notice on behalf of the Union Agriculture Ministry and assured the court ''We will examine the whole issue and get back to the honourable court'' The petition also referred to the import of PL-480 variety of Mexican wheat in the 60's popularly known as red wheat which brought into India the deadly parthenium hysterophorus weed which now occupies 15 per cent of the country's geographical area. Besides it introduced two pests - Ergot and Dwarf Bunt in the country.

UNI AKS/SC MQA AT DS1300