Mustard oil case: Govt says its powers are limited

NEW DELHI, February 24: The Delhi government has 8220;no authority8221; to regulate the manufacturing process of food products in the Capital. The powers of its Department of Prevention of Food Adulteration PFA are limited only to the testing of samples.

This was disclosed in a government affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court today in the ongoing mustard oil adulteration case. The court was hearing a PIL seeking direction to the Union and state governments to take effective measures against the adulteration of edible oil. The affidavit, filed by Principal Secretary health, Ramesh Chandra, was placed before the division bench of acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice Mukul Mudgal.

The rules for licencing to regulate the manufacturing activity of food products have been drafted and would be enforced soon, Chandra said in his affidavit, further adding that in the absence of a licencing regime, the department could only test samples. 8220;The department of PFA does not exercise any control on the manufacturing process of mustard oil in the absence of licencing procedure. But we have taken various measures, in consultation with the Union government, to prevent a recurrence of the dropsy epidemic,8221; he said, while clarifying.