High Court's stern directive welcome

The High Court directive ordering police to file criminal cases against those who use toxic chemicals in fruits couldn't have come a day sooner. Use of extremely hazardous chemicals to artificially ripen and preserve fruits is a heinous crime which has become pervasive all over the country. It exposes consumers to serious health hazards including fatal diseases. It, therefore, demands immediate punitive actions from the government.
A number of studies, among others, by the Institute of Public Health (IPH) and the Institute of Food and Nutrition (IFN) at the University of Dhaka have confirmed the alarming extent to which both the imported and home-grown fruits are adulterated. Notwithstanding such authentic proof of food adulteration, the government only relies on mobile courts, especially during the month of Ramadan, conducted by several government wings including BSTI, DCC and Directorate of Consumers Rights Protection (DCRP) in association with metropolitan magistrates and law enforcing agencies. However, the sporadic nature of such uncoordinated as well as unplanned drives has done little to bring the criminals to heel. In the absence of a well-planned, continuous government monitoring cell, the pernicious practice has kept growing.
In the backdrop of this lax monitoring system, we hope that the High Court directive will propel the law enforcers into taking prompt action without having to wait for nods from higher authorities.
The directive, however, requires law enforcers to invoke the Special Powers Act, 1974, if need be. However, we consider it a Draconian law. Sacrificing human lives at the altar of crass commercialism and profiteering is a crime which must be deterred, and we prefer other laws be used.
As much as we appreciate the court's decision, we cannot but wonder why a similar directive should not apply to all the food items, most of which are similarly adulterated. The most harmful adulterant, formalin, is injected in fish. Other toxins such as artificial colours are used in many food items, which may cause cancer and also badly affect liver, kidney and nerves.
Structurally, what we really need is a task force to look after this affair because neither the National Food Safety Advisory Council nor the Directorate General of Food has been able to ensure food safety for us.