Police issue warning as many fall sick after consuming contaminated buckwheat flour
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
dehradun police advised citizens to refrain from consuming items made from bucjljwheat flour purchased from four particular outlets in Dehradun,fter nearlt 150 persons sufferred from food poisoning after consuming items made from flour procured from these outlets.
The chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the district hospital on Monday morning to check on the patients and interacted with them. He directed district magistrate Savin Bansal and the Health department to ensure proper medical care and instructed them to increase the number of hospital beds if required. He also directed to take action against the officials concerned of the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Health department if their negligence comes to light during investigation.
According to Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh, preliminary investigations revealed that the adulterated flour was supplied from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The police identified about two dozen stores selling the suspected product and conducted raids, sealing these establishments. The police teams also confiscated other potentially contaminated food items and shop owners were taken in for questioning.
The SSP informed that the authorities in Saharanpur have started action against the supplier’s warehouse following coordination between Dehradun police and Saharanpur district officials. A police team from Dehradun has also been dispatched to Saharanpur to assist with the investigation, he said. The SSP informed that the stores identified as selling the contaminated flour include Agrawal Trade Store in Deepnagar, Laxmi Store in Banjarawala, Sanjay Store in Karanpur, Sharma Store near Raipur police station, Agrawal Traders in Kedarpuram MDDA Colony and Kohli Traders near Darshani Gate.
Singh also urged the public to exercise caution while purchasing and consuming buckwheat flour from these or other market sources. The DM also stated that strict action will be taken against those responsible for endangering public health. He asked locals to report any cases of adulteration to the police control room at 112, the district disaster operation center at 01352626066, or the respective SDMs.
