Gujarat, MP ban sale of aerated drinks

Ahmedabad/Bhopal/Varanasi, Aug 6 (UNI) Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have banned the sale of aerated drinks following reports that they had pesticide residues.

Gujarat University banned the sale of soft drinks on its campus while the Madhya Pradesh government halted the sale of cold drinks in government offices and canteens of educational institutes with immediate effect.

In a circular issued yesterday, University Vice-Chancellor Parimal Trivedi said all the affiliated colleges and institutes will have to stop the sale of soft drinks in canteens and campuses with immediate effect.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters that the decision was taken in the wake of the CSE claim and added the government had taken the decision keeping public health in mind.

At least six schools in Varanasi also banned the sale and consumption of cold drinks in their premises.

Rajasthan has already banned Coke and Pepsi drinks from all the state's educational institutions as also the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat following the study's release.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss yesterday warned of severe action against Coca Cola and Pepsico if the report of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the presence of pesticides in the soft drinks was found to be correct.

The report triggered nationwide protests with various states contemplating a ban on the soft drinks. On Friday, the Supreme Court issued notice to Coca Cola and Pepsico along with the Centre on a PIL seeking an effective regulatory regime to check contamination of the drinks by highly toxic and addictive ingredients and the contents to be displayed on the bottle.

A similar study in 2003 by the same organisation briefly dented sales of the two companies' drinks when it reported levels of pesticide in excess of international standards.

UNI TEAM YA RAI1914