No action has been taken against any major wholesalers or large traders and the drive is primarily targeted against vendors, a majority of whom do not have licences. And even the vendors have not been penalised either for selling artificially ripened fruit or for operating without licences. The reason for this is that there is no concrete policy in this regard.
When questioned, the district health authorities said so far no report of large-scale illegal ripening had been received. They said calcium carbide was being used by traders in other states from where fruits were sourced. Day two of the drive saw a full blown protest by vendors against the Health Department; the police had to intervene.
A majority of fruit and vegetables are laden with calcium carbide, a harmful chemical. The acetylene gas in calcium carbide evaporates when it comes in contact with moisture. Thus the samples often fail to show the presence of chemicals in fruit.
Unless found in large amounts, calcium carbide is not visible in samples because it releases water and carbon dioxide after coming in contact with moisture. There is no provision of initiating action before getting test report. Due to the nature of the gas, the probability of fining the guilty is low.
Source: tribuneindia.com
