: The Delhi High Court has directed the Aam Aadmi Party government to appoint Food Safety Officers in order to check the presence of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables sold in the markets of the Capital.
Hearing a matter in which it had taken suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report on pesticides present in fruits and vegetables, which could cause cancer and damage nervous system and liver, a Division Bench asked the Delhi government to fix a time-frame for appointment of officers.
The court had earlier directed the Union Agriculture Ministry to set up a committee and frame guidelines to prevent the use of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.
The Bench, comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath, was told by the Delhi government’s counsel that he would file a status report in the matter. As per an affidavit filed by the Delhi government in November last year, there was requirement of Food Safety Officers.
The court sought to know what the Delhi government had done in the matter so far. Responding to this, the counsel said advertisements had been published and reports forwarded to the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board.
As the government’s counsel sought time to file a status report in the matter, the court posted the case for further hearing on August 10, saying it would need to get satisfied about the appointment of officers.
Some non-government organisations had submitted survey reports about vegetables and fruits sold in the city markets to the court, saying they contained pesticides in a harmful quantity.
