Jaggery made with sugar, dye and hydrosulphite: 45 maunds destroyed in Bagha in two days

Mobile court raids on three factories making adulterated jaggery (gur) in Bagha upazila of Rajshahi have destroyed 45 maunds of gur over two days. A fine of Tk 10,000 was imposed, and 27 sacks of seized sugar were given to a local orphanage. The raids were led, with police help, by assistant commissioner (land) and executive magistrate Nusrat Jahan Ananya.

Around 11 am on Sunday, 18 October, the court raided the factory of Sabuj Hossain and Rocky Hossain in Choksinga Darpara village of Arani municipality. Sensing the officials' arrival, they fled, leaving gur on the stove. Fifteen maunds of gur were destroyed and 12 sacks of sugar seized.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 14 October, a raid on Kazim Uddin's factory in the same village destroyed 30 maunds of gur and seized 15 sacks of sugar, and he was fined Tk 10,000. The factory is alleged to have made gur from sugar, 'Monalisa', various chemicals, lime, dye, hydrosulphite, alum, vegetable shortening and flour.

Nusrat Jahan Ananya said the raids followed complaints that gur was being made with toxic chemicals in unhygienic conditions. The seized gur and ingredients were destroyed in public.

Reporting: Bagha (Rajshahi) correspondent, Ajker Patrika

Photo: Ferdous / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); date palm jaggery, for illustration

Source: Ajker Patrika