‘Plan way to rid fruits of pesticides’

The Delhi high court has asked the Centre and city government to devise a way in two months to ensure that vegetables and fruits are not treated with pesticides beyond permissible limit during farming.

The Delhi high court has asked the Centre and city government to devise a way in two months to ensure that vegetables and fruits are not treated with pesticides beyond permissible limit during farming.

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A Bench asked authorities of the central and state governments to convene a meeting to chalk out a solution to the problem affecting people’s health.

Various government authorities, which were asked to convene the meeting and submit their report to the court by February 23, the next date of hearing, included the Delhi government’s health secretary and Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board, the Union agriculture and health ministries.

HC’s direction came during examination of a civil society survey report by it alleging that 35 vegetables and fruits, picked up by it from markets and tested for pesticides content in them were found having various intoxicants beyond permissible limits.