Chennai: An advocate has approached the Madras high court to order CBI probe into the allegation of milk being sold in Tamil Nadu is adulterated and if found true, prosecute the adulterated milk producing companies.
The PIL filed by advocate A.P. Suryaprakasam, which also sought to amend section 272 of IPC for enhancing the punishment for adulterators of milk and milk products to life sentence, is likely to come up for hearing on June 5.
According to Suryaprakasam, milk plays an important role in every human being health and life and for no fault of them if the citizens were forced to consume adulterated milk then the state government, who was responsible for the health and safety of the citizen has to be taken to task for not discharging their statutory duties in controlling this menace. The consumption of adulterated milk and milk products were hazardous to human health, he added.
He said he was shocked to read a statement of the state diary development minister alleging that private milk firms were using harmful chemicals in the milk they produce which causes cancer in many children.
The minister has further alleged that only after a thorough check of the packaged milk of private firms for more than five months, it was found that the milk adulterators were using hydrogen peroxide and chlorine to prevent milk from getting spoiled. The minister in charge for Animal Husbandry asserted that milk being sold in TN was highly adulterated and contaminated and on record he claimed that samples of the milk had been sent to Pune lab. The director of state public health laboratory, Pune claims that no such sample was received from TN since June 2016. But, no one can deny the fact that a grave apprehension was created by the claim and counter claim of the state government and private milk producers and since many of the factories distributing milk situated outside TN, it may not be possible for the state police to investigate the allegation of the minister in this regard.
Therefore, he sent a representation to entrust to CBI, the investigation into the allegation of milk being sold in TN was adulterated. As there was no response, he filed the present PIL, Suryaprakasam added.
