Brisk business of adulterated, substandard foods

Sale of adulterated, stale and substandard foods is rampant in the port city for the last few months in absence of anti-adulteration drive.
Owners of a large number of hotels, restaurants and fast food shops in the city have been selling adulterated foods without any problem to the consumers since December last year after the much-talked-about anti-adulteration drive came to a sudden halt following the transfer of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Magistrate Mohammad Munir Chowdhury to Bogra.
Munir spearheaded drives against adulteration of food, encroachment on government land, contraband and date-expired drugs, illegal hill cutting, unfit vessels and pilferage of Wasa water during his tenure as the first-class magistrate of the CPA. He earned laurels from the common people for his courageous role and honesty in this regard. He was transferred as additional deputy commissioner (revenue) of Bogra on December 5, 2007.
“I feel bad when I see the drives against adulteration have been stopped. And its no wonder that the unscrupulous section of people will take advantage of the absence of anti-adulteration drive,” said Munir Chowdhury, who was in Chittagong on Monday on a personal visit.
He said it was expected by all that the drives would continue for greater benefit of the common people in my absence. “As it hasn't happened, you can't blame now if those people start smelling something fishy regarding my transfer.”
Dr Sultanul Alam, former head of community medicine department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said the overall state of public health in the city is vulnerable now due to the unabated and open sale of adulterated and substandard foods in most of the hotels, restaurants, fast food shops and elsewhere.
“The persons involved in adulteration were largely in control as long as the drive was on in the past few years until end of 2007 but they have started business of adulterated food in full swing after transfer of Munir Chowdhury and in absence of drive,” he said.
Many hotels, restaurants and fast food shops at Anderkilla, Momin Road, Jamal Khan, Kazir Dewry, Dewan Bazar, Bakalia, Khatunganj, Chawk Bazar, Badurtala, Bohaddarhat, Muradpur, Nasirabad, Sholoshahar, OR Nizam Road, GEC Intersection, Agrabad, Lalkhan Bazar, Halishahar, Madarbari, Station Road, Dewanhat BRTC Bus Station, Bayezid Bostami, Patharghata, Firingee Bazar, Panchlaish and Katalganj are selling substandard foods openly.
Besides, the owners hardly maintain hygiene standard in their hotels or shops. The interior in most of the hotels and restaurants in these areas are dirty and unhygienic. These dirty interiors often augur bad smell.
“I take breakfast regularly at a so-called good hotel at OR Nizam Road near GEC Intersection. The scene inside the kitchen is horrible. The foods are mostly kept in an unhygienic condition,” said Imam Hossain Liton, a businessman of Nasirabad area.
The hotel was fined Tk 50,000 for keeping and selling adulterated and stale food about two years ago.
Some students, who live in a small rented dormitory at Chawk Bazar, also came up with similar allegations against some hotels in the area.
“We had found those hotels quite clean and hygienic when the anti-adulteration drive was in full force in the city and standard of food was relatively fine. But today, the hygiene standard of the same hotels here is poor,” they said.
Subrata Bala, divisional programme officer of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (Cab), said the state of public health in the port city is vulnerable due to the absence of anti-adulteration drive and indifference of the administration.
“Seeing the rampant practice of food adulteration, one may feel that there is no authority at all to check the dishonest practice of the culprits,” he said.
Sources in the administration said anti-adulteration drive can't be conducted for shortage of magistrates after the separation of judiciary from the executive last year.