HC notices Centre to ban non-iodised salt

Jabalpur, Nov 27: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the Centre on a petition challenging the ban on sale of non-iodised salt and compulsory use of iodised salt.

Hearing a petition by Indore-based Centre for Protection of Environment and Research Development on November 24, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik and Justice Deepak Mishra issued the notice to the Secretary of Union Food and Civil Supplies ministry and others and sought a reply within six weeks.

Petitioner's counsel Anand Mohan Mathur told the court that the Centre's decision to make compulsory the sale of iodised salt and banning sale of non-iodised salt was illegal.

He said consumption of iodised salt had utility in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttaranchal where 'gengha' disease occurred.

The price of normal salt was 30 paise per kilo but iodised salt cost ten times more. The necessity of these states and other hilly regions was being imposed on the whole country.

UNI