Calling it a “serious and alarming situation”, the Bombay high court on Friday directed the state Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) commissioner to file a status report on whether or not the laboratories in the dairy farms are equipped with the technique for detection of certain imperceptible carcinogens in milk.
A division bench of Jutices D.Y. Chandrachud and S.C. Gupte said, “This is a serious and alarming situation. The FDA should inform on next hearing on August 30 whether tests developed by FDA in detecting Sodium Lauryl Ethyl Sulphate (SLES) and Sorbitol is now available with the cooperative, public and private dairy farms, and whether their labs are equipped for carrying out detection, and also if the National Dairy Development Board is capable of such detection.”
The bench was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Arogya Sena, a Pune-based public and social welfare organisation, which stated that synthetic milk is being manufactured and supplied in dairy farms across the state. The PIL further stated that a huge milk scam was unearthed in the districts of Pune, Satara, Solapur and Ahmednagar. It stated that the adulterated milk, shockingly resembles, tastes and smells exactly like natural milk.
While speaking to The Asian Age, petitioner’s lawyer Jane Cox, said, “You’ll be shocked to know that the milk-like substance was a product of a bio-diesel laboratory experiment by one professor Dr Phunde, a PhD holder and a chemistry professor. He initially set up an operation to mix this substance with real milk. However, once he perfected the formulation, he produced 100 per cent synthetic milk, which has not been mixed at all with real milk.” She added that the largest racket is reported to have been run by one Samir Mehta, from Vadga-on Nimbalkar Village near Baramati. After his arrest, he confessed to getting the formula from a chemist — the above-mentioned Prof Phunde.
The court was also informed that till 2009, no tests were present in India to detect carcinogens.