In the month of Ramadan, ordinary people are frustrated by the rising prices of daily necessities. On top of that, the production and marketing of adulterated products by unscrupulous traders is putting the huge population of the northern region including Rangpur at health risk.
Especially at the end of Ramadan, with Eid in mind, the production of adulterated ‘Semai’ is rampant in the region. The BSTI (Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution) has not been able to stop the production and marketing of this adulterated product. A raid was carried out in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur on Thursday and a fine of one lakh taka and one metric ton of semai were seized from the fake and unauthorized ‘Lachcha Semai’ factory.
According to BSTI sources, mobile courts were conducted in different areas of Hakimpur in Dinajpur district last Thursday with the help of upazila administration as part of regular activities aimed at preventing adulteration in food items and ensuring accuracy in weights and measures. Executive Magistrate and Hakimpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Noor-e-Alam conducted the operation and gave away fines worth lakhs. The court was assisted by Mestbah-ul-Hasan, Field Officer (CM), BSTI Rangpur Divisional Office and Mithun Kabiraj, Inspector. BSTI's Deputy Director (Materials) and Divisional Office Chief Engineer Md Abdur Rashid said, Semai is the main ingredient of Eid-ul-Fitr celebration. Taking advantage of this opportunity, unscrupulous traders are marketing adulterated semai in an unhealthy environment in the hope of making more profit with less capital.
He also said that such operations of BSTI will continue with the help of district administration and district police. No specific figures for the semai factory matched. However, thick semai with lachcha and thin semai of Bogra are being made in the bakery factories.
Besides, a class of unscrupulous and seasonal traders are making lachcha semai in an unhealthy environment in the hope of making more profit with less capital without heeding the rules and regulations.
In addition to them, many approved factories are also taking advantage of the opportunity to produce adulterated lachcha.
It can be seen on the ground that unhealthy environment is prevailing in most of the semai factories. Although the factory has improved management with free light and air access, artisans are required to wear aprons and special gloves. Although it is supposed to use advanced flour, vegetable fat oil, eggs, ghee, dalda as ingredients of lachcha, there is no harm in it. Instead, semai is being fermented in low-grade flour on a palm drum spread on the floor. Somewhere yeast is being made by machine as well as by foot. There are allegations that after frying these semai by sprinkling artificial perfume of soap making animal fat, low quality flour, palm oil and ghee, fake wraps of well-known and expensive companies are tagged and given out in the open market. The packet does not have the date of manufacture, company name, expiration date, name of the material.
Again, many people are marketing lachcha semai in open condition without packets. By showing thumbs up to the regulations, the producers are selling these lachchas at wholesale and retail prices in different hat-bazaars of the northern region including eight districts of Rangpur division. Conscious quarters, including experts, claim that these lachchas made of adulterated materials will endanger the health of a large number of people. Alhaj Nurul Islam Munna, president of Rangpur District Confectionery Owners' Association, said: Besides, reputation is being ruined. In this regard, all the legitimate traders have sought the cooperation of the administration including conducting anti-adulteration campaigns. BSTI's Deputy Director Engineer Md Abdur Rashid said that the factories have been kept under surveillance to prevent the production of adulterated lachcha semai mixed with rotten eggs, animal fat and artificial ghee and perfume around Eid.
Rangpur Divisional Health Director Dr Abu Mohd Zakirul Islam said that playing these adulterated semai can cause diarrhea, stomach ailments and liver cirrhosis. Children in particular are more likely to have problems. He requested to refrain from such unhealthy food.