The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) sealed off a total of 30 factories for producing unsafe drinking water in the capital from January to mid-October this year, an official said.
The national standards agency conducted the drives through its 28 mobile courts against the factories involved with producing unsafe drinking water and destroyed 33,300 water jars during the period.
It also realised Tk 5 million as fines and sentenced 70 people to different terms for producing and selling unsafe jar water.
A high official of the BSTI said carrying out raids against the factories involved with producing fake cosmetics, unsafe drinking water and foods is a continuous process.
"We will soon carry out raids against the factories allegedly involved with producing and selling substandard fruit juice," deputy director of BSTI Md Reazul Haque told the FE.
He said they have already identified some factories and will carry out raids against them soon.
BSTI and Anti-Corruption Commission jointly raided a go-down last week and destroyed five truckloads of adulterated food items imported by a private company located in Tejgaon industrial area in the capital. It fined the company Tk 0.5 million, he added.
Fruit juice, dan cake and powdered milk were among the food items that were destroyed.
Another mobile court led by an executive magistrate of Dhaka district administration also fined a bakery in the same area and realised Tk 60,000.
It seized stale and date-expired bread and biscuits and destroyed them.
The BSTI was established by the government through an ordinance in July 1985.
The primary activities of the BSTI are: standardisation of services and products, introduction of the international unit system of weights and measures and promotion of metrology services, promotion of quality assurance activities, rendering testing facilities for services and products, preparation, promotion and adoption of national standards.
Empowered with some regulatory measures, the BSTI has also taken steps to create awareness among different bodies and entrepreneurs for adoption of all key ISO standards (ISO 9000, 14000 etc.).
The importance of BSTI is increasingly growing due to the government's time-befitting policy to make industries export-oriented and ensure quality products for the consumers.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com