Imphal, June 09: Evoking provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, the State Government has banned all packaged drinking water/mineral water which do not have the tags of Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) certificates with immediate effect.

State Health Director Ch Chandramani has issued an order in this regard on Monday last notifying closure of all the mineral water bottling plants in the State which do not possess BIS certificates.

All the six packaged drinking water manufacturing units in the State are likely to face the music in the wake of the Government order as it is reliably learnt that none of them have obtained the mandatory certificate despite having been given three months time to do so.

The picture that comes out after a whirlwind survey conducted by The Sangai Express also revealed that more than 50 percent of the packaged drinking water being sold in the local market are manufactured by these local units which do not have the seal of BIS.

When contacted, a highly placed source in the State Health Directorate informed that the Government has taken a firm stand on the issue after the local manufacturing units failed to obtain the BIS certificates despite giving them three months� time to do so.

Following an instruction from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Ministry, State Health Directorate had issued notices to the proprietors/managers of all the five packaged drinking water manufacturing units, namely Magic Dew, Mama, Bideli, A-I Special and Aqua Soft, all located in the capital, for obtaining BIS certificates within three months time and submit the same to the Directorate.

But none of the manufacturing units have complied with the notice and accordingly stringent action against such non-licensed units have been taken up, the source divulged.

These non-licensed units have also been prohibited from manufacturing, selling or exhibiting the packaged drinking waters and necessary legal action would be initiated if any of the unit is found defying the order, the source said.

The regional office of BIS at Guwahati has also reportedly furnished a list of the licensed manufacturers of packaged mineral water for the whole North East region to the Directorate on August 26, 2003.But none of the units located in the State featured in the said list.

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