Govt yet to stop sales of banned milk brands
The government did not take any measure as of yesterday to stop sales and display of eight brands of 'melamine-contaminated' powdered milk at shops as per a High Court (HC) order and most of these brands are still on the market.
An industries ministry official said the government did not take any step as it had not received any certified copy of the HC order that banned sales and display of those products until receipt of test results from laboratories at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, one of the companies that sells three of the popular powdered milk brands suspected to be contaminated with toxic melamine said it is preparing to fight a legal battle if it takes longer to get the test results.
Manzil Murshid, counsel of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), yesterday sent a notice to the inspector general of police (IGP) and the home secretary, saying they should take immediate steps to comply with the HC order as it was widely publicised by the media on the very day of passing.
The HC order came in response to a writ petition filed as a public interest litigation by the HRPB after laboratory tests at the Dhaka University chemistry department found toxic melamine in eight baby formula brands--Diploma, Red Cow, Dano, Yashili-1, Yashili-2, Sweet Baby-2, Nido Fortified Instant, and Anlene.
Confusions arose surrounding the test results as Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and private laboratory Plasma Plus found presence of melamine only in Yashili-1.
This prompted the government to decide for further testing of the brands at the laboratories of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
At a meeting on October 19, the commerce secretary said the test results would be submitted in seven working days, which ends October 28. He left it up to the people to decide whether or not to consume powdered milk of these brands during this time.
He also said the government has no responsibility if consumption of these products causes any health hazard during this time, which prompted the HRPB to file the writ petition.
Secretaries to the home, finance, commerce and health ministries, chairmen of the National Board of Revenue and BAEC, the director general of BSTI and the IGP were made respondents to the rule.
Asked why the government has not yet complied with the HC order, the industries ministry official said, "We have not yet received any copy of the High Court order. I was in the office until 6:00pm Thursday but no order came from the High Court.
"Let us see if the order arrives Sunday when the office opens. We shall act immediately after we get it," he said, requesting anonymity.
IGP Nur Mohammad also said he did not receive any copy of the HC order or any instructions from the government.
Due to the government inaction, a few of the banned brands, especially Diploma, Dano, Red Cow and Nido, were found displayed at several retail shops in city markets. Yashili-1, Yashili-2 and Sweet Baby had already been withdrawn from the market, sellers said.
Mosharraf Hossain Pintu, a retailer at Karwan Bazar, said a few traders removed those brands of powdered milk on their own like him.
Most retailers, however, said they did not remove the brands as they did not receive any instructions from their distributors.
But they said consumers were not buying those brands.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh Ltd's Managing Director SA Mallick said they are very much confident that their products--Anlene, Red Cow and Dano--do not contain melamine and that they would go for legal battle regarding the issue.
"We respect the High Court order and also asked our distributors to remove our brands even before the government decision. But, we are consulting our lawyers to go for legal battle because the issue concerns our image," he told The Daily Star yesterday evening.
The test results--when they arrive--would decide the next course of action, Mallick said.
An official of Nestlé Bangladesh Ltd, which sells Nido, said the HC order was directed to the government rather than the companies. "Therefore, we are waiting for the government orders. We shall take decision on Sunday," he said.
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