UNB, Dhaka
The High Court, after browsing the fresh laboratory test reports, including from the World Health Organisation (WHO), yesterday lifted its embargo on the sale, display and marketing of five brands of powdered milk earlier suspected to have been contaminated with the harmful textile chemical melamine.
Diploma and Red Cow of Australia, Dano of Denmark, and Nido and Anlene of New Zealand go the court clearance for marketing-after so much of brouhaha, starting from China.
A division bench comprising Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui passed the order.
According to the laboratory test reports, the ingredient of toxic melamine contained in the five brands was found below 0.1 parts per million (ppm) which is not harmful for human health.
The bench, however, retained the embargo imposed by the government on proven toxic melamine-contaminated Yashili-1, Yashili-2 and Sweet Baby of China.
Besides, the HC asked the Health Ministry to conduct similar laboratory tests at Dhaka University,
BSTI and the Atomic Energy Commission, after collecting samples of all available 28 brands of powdered milk and submit all the test reports through the Supreme Court registrar within six weeks.
“The collection of samples would have to be done in a transparent manner with due representation, including from the producers,” says the court order.
Earlier, the HC had asked the Health Ministry to procure a certificate from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as to whether or not the melamine-tainted powdered milk is harmful to human health.
Emerging from the court, Advocate Manzill Murshid, president of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), who appears for the writ petitioners, told the reporters that the rule hearing on the public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition would be held after complying with today’s court order by the government.
On October 23 last year, the High Court upon a PIL writ petition filed by quartet HRPB lawyers issued a twin-rule upon the government to explain why its “failure to stop selling melamine-mixed toxic powered milk should not be declared illegal”.
The HC had also asked the government to show cause as to why a direction should not be given for taking necessary steps for protecting health security of the citizens.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
