Delhi High Court seeks report from AAP govt on vacant posts of food inspectors

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to inform it about the number of vacant post of food inspectors, which is hampering an effective check on the use of pesticides in vegetables and fruits sold in the national capital. A bench of acting chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed the Delhi government to file a status report on the number of food inspectors after being told that vacancies were still not filled. [caption id=“attachment_3810641” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. News18[/caption] The court has now fixed the matter for hearing on 1 November. Earlier, the high court was informed that in a number of vegetables and edible items, pesticide residue was found to be beyond permissible limits. However, owing to the shortage of food inspectors, such vegetables and fruits reach households, thus posing a serious threat to people’s health. According to a report filed by amicus curiae, who is assisting a court, large quantity of vegetables and fruits sold in the capital contains dangerous pesticides that can cause serious health problems. It had claimed that due to excessive usage of pesticides in fruits and vegetable, “various countries have banned the import of Indian vegetables and fruits and many more are under scrutiny”. The high court initiated the issue on its own after an NGO found that vegetables and fruits sold in the Delhi’s markets contain poisons capable of causing cancer and harming the nervous system and liver.