"Impure milk": Delhi High Court pulls up Delhi government, Police for failing to regulate dairies

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday castigated the Delhi government, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for their failure to ensure supply of pure milk in the national capital and to stop the use of spurious hormones administered to cattle. .A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said that the government officials have done nothing to ensure that the dairies functioning in the capital are complying with the guidelines regarding cleanliness and hygiene.The Bench remarked that it cannot tolerate cattle eating hazardous waste near landfill sites and their milk being fed to children or being used for preparing sweets and chocolates.“Today, the administration has turned a blind eye as if the dairies do not exist at all. This is the milk which is used in sweets and chocolates and it is entering our food. They are not being examined by any statutory authorities… We are hearing amazing stories. Cattles have been moved to second floor and then they never come down. Imaging the cruelty. Imagine the amount of waste and excreta among which they live. Oxytocin is a banned drug but it is rampant in these dairy colonies. Please ask your officers what have they done? Why are these officers getting salaries? Responsibility needs to be fixed,” Acting Chief Justice Manmohan told Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.The Chief Secretary had joined the proceedings through video conference along with a host of senior government officials..The Court was dealing with a plea filed by advocate Sunayana Sibal and others seeking directions to shift nine dairy colonies in the national capital to other appropriate locations.The Bench warned that if Delhi Police is unable to stop the sale of spurious Oxytocin (a hormone misused in cattle), the Court will consider handing over the task to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).“If police are feeling handicapped, we will hand it over to the CBI. Please understand where you are heading. It [contaminated milk] may be affecting young children and young babies. Police must show some alacrity.”The Court asked the Chief Secretary to personally visit some of the dairy colonies and take stock of the situation since the government officials have failed at their job.“I think, Chief Secretary Sahab, you must take out some time to visit one or two of these dairies. This will give you feedback. Your officers are not going to the ground and they have no idea what is happening. I am not even sure if their entry is allowed in these areas or not. Please visit these places. Once you send a clear message, your officers will start visiting on their own,” the Bench remarked..It further expressed displeasure over the government’s failure to give exact figures about the number of cattle housed in the dairy colonies of the city. While the Delhi government figure suggested that there are around 30,000 cattle housed in the nine dairy colonies, a report by the Central government’s Department of Animal Husbandry revealed that the number was over three lakh.The Court ordered the Chief Secretary to file a detailed report indicating the roadmap about how the government plans to ensure that all the dairies in Delhi have mandatory licenses and the cattle do not feed on waste.The report submitted shall also detail the steps the government will take to ensure that the milk from dairies near landfill sites of Ghazipur and Bhalswa is not contaminated and also give details about efforts made to trace the source of Oxytocin, the Court said.Further, the Bench said that it will pass directions regarding Madanpur Khadar dairy to ensure that it complies with the statutory framework and the same shall be treated as a pilot project.It then ordered the FSSAI to ramp up testing of milk and other products in Delhi, especially near the landfill sites..The matter will be heard next on May 27.