Death penalty for milk adulterators in Maharashtra not implemented yet

Last year, the government of Maharashtra proposed to the Centre that milk adulteration be a crime across the state, with the death penalty as the maximum punishment, but neither has it been implemented nor has the malpractice stopped.
In the past year, as many as 40 premises of food business operators who adulterate milk were raided, about 50 cases were registered against them, and about 3.5 lakh litres of milk were seized.
K B Sankhe, joint commissioner (food), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra, said, “To bring down the rising cases of milk adulteration in Maharashtra, the state FDA launched a helpline dedicated to complaints of milk adulteration last year.”
He added, “Various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across Maharashtra gave us suggestions after the numbers of cases of milk adulteration rose, which resulted in the launch of the helpline.”
However, a consumer from Bandra, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Although they have started a helpline to curb milk adulteration, it is still rising. The redressal mechanism is unfeasible.”
He added, “I tried to reach the advisor through the helpline, but I was unable to connect with him even after four attempts. If you call the helpline to complain about milk adulteration, you are asked to pay Rs 1,000, which is illegal. I don’t understand why citizens have to be charged for this.”
When asked about it, Sankhe said, “FDA doesn’t charge any fees for adulteration tests. When we receive a complaint, we collect the sample and test it in our laboratory. A normal fee is charged only if the report is negative. To get the results quicker, consumers can approach their local food safety officers.”