Malda: Enforcement against unripe fruits begins
With the advent of the season of mango and litchi in Malda to hit the market, Malda Food Safety department started enforcement to stop selling of immature and unripe fruits. The raids started on Monday in different markets of English Bazar Municipality area and several quintals of unripe litchi were seized from being sold by various traders. It is alleged that a number of immoral traders tend to market raw and unripe litchi at this time every year. This litchi is unhealthy, even deadly to consume, especially for children.
A team from the Food Safety department visited The Netaji Municipal Market on Monday and stopped selling of over a thousand litchis unsuitable for human consumption. On Tuesday, the team raided Aambazar, the wholesale market of fruits in English Bazar and stopped selling such litchis in quintals. Further, Food Safety officer, Prasanta Baidik, along with his team members conducted meetings with the committee of traders to sensitise them over the
malpractice and its bad effects on public health. This is aimed to stop the entry of unripe litchis to enter the market. Piyush Salunkhe, Additional District Magistrate (Health), said: “Initially, the operation is going on in different parts of the municipality areas. After this, the raids will continue throughout the district. The common people should be aware of this.”
Samant Layek, deputy director of district Horticulture department, said: ‘’Bombai and local litchi varieties are usually grown in Malda. None of these types of litchi has yet reached maturity. Unripe mangoes can be ripened artificially. If the litchi is not ripe, it cannot be ripened at all as it only ripens on the tree. When the litchi ripens or turns into red colour, then the sweetness comes.
In Bihar, there have been cases of children getting sick and dying after eating immature and unripe litchi. So people should be very careful of this.’’ Sabyasachi Chakraborty, deputy CMOH-3 of Malda, said: ‘’Acute encephalitis syndrome can occur in children after eating such litchi.
This can even lead to the death of the child. Unripe litchis should never be eaten on an empty stomach. Litchi should be given to children only when it is ripe. Parents should also be careful about this.’’