The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Cola ban for all State Government institutions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 10, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Cola ban for all State Government institutions

Special Correspondent

No soft drinks in tetrapacks too

K. Rosaiah

HYDERABAD: The State Government has decided not to allow sale of soft drinks in its educational institutions, hospitals and other establishments in the light of the finding that these contain pesticide residue.

The decision applies to the soft drinks sold in tetrapacks as well.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, Health Minister K. Rosaiah said an order banning the drinks would be issued shortly based on guidelines proposed to be issued by the Centre. Private educational institutions and establishments would also be "advised" to follow suit.

The Minister said the standards laid down for production of mineral water were not being followed in the case of soft drinks. Even milk sold in tetrapacks was found containing pesticide residue to the tune of 0.2 per cent.

Referring to his meeting with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramdas in New Delhi on Tuesday along with his counterparts from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Mr. Rosaiah said the Centre had agreed in principle to the proposal to set up one or two national virology laboratories in the South.

These labs would help avoid delay in getting reports of blood samples for chikungunya and other viral fevers. At present, there were only two virology labs in Pune and in New Delhi.

He said District Medical & Health Officers had been asked to be on the look out for outbreak of communicable diseases in the wake of the floods. He said he did not visit the affected areas as he believed that it would only hamper relief work. Control rooms had been set up at the State and district levels to monitor the situation, he added.

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