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Magistrate orders closure of jaggery factory
View(s):Kayts Magistrate S. Leninkumar this week ordered the closure of the Kayts jaggery factory after it was revealed that the factory used an agricultural chemical fertiliser harmful for human consumption.
The Court learned that the fertiliser has been issued under the Divineguma Scheme to the factory that comes under the Kayts Farmers’ Development Society.
Kayts Public Health Inspector (PHI) K.Sanjeevan said on a tip-off, the factory was inspected and 125 kilogrammes of jaggery made using the harmful fertiliser which has a high concentration of chemical, seized.
He said previously, phosphoric acid was used to make jaggery but the harmful fertiliser is cheaper therefore the factory has used it, despite it being unfit for human consumption.The Magistrate also ordered to seal the factory and ordered the general manager of the factory to appear in court tomorrow.
Public Health Inspectors have been ordered to inspect other factories as well. At present there are 15 palmyrah jaggery making factories in the Jaffna peninsula.
The Kayts jaggery factory was commissioned in 2013 and was funded by Norway under a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at a cost of 13.3 million rupees.