The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Delhi Government for expressing helplessness in tackling use of banned pesticides in fruits and vegetables, saying that it could not ignore a serious matter of public health in such a casual manner.

A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Manmohan criticised the approach of the State Government to the matter after going through the affidavit filed by it in response to the Court's notice.

In the affidavit, the Government, among other things, said as of now it did not have the particular machine to detect the use of oxytocin pesticide in fruits and vegetables.

The Court later directed the Government to file a fresh affidavit informing it how it would tackle this health hazard.

The Court will now take up the matter on January 19, 2011, for further hearing.

The Court had earlier this month taken suo motu cognisance of a media report about rampant use of banned pesticides in vegetable and fruits.

The report quoting a study on use of banned pesticides by farmers conducted by non-government organisation Consumer Voice said the amount of pesticides used in India was as much as 750 times the European standards.

Out of five internationally banned pesticides, four were found to be common in vegetables and fruits, the report said quoting the study.

These pesticides cause headache and affect fertility and can damage the kidney and liver, the report said.

“It is difficult to perceive how the community would react to such a situation when it is asserted that there has been an authentic research which shows that vegetables and fruits have become highly toxic because of the process of growing and preservation,'' the Bench had then observed.

“If we allow ourselves to say so, the said article is likely to convert a normal being into a hypochondriac. It is said hypochondria can eventually lead to neurotic disorders and obsessed melancholia,'' the Court had further said.

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