Pesticides in veg, fruits common to all states:HC

Delhi High Court today said the issue of excessive use of pesticides in vegetables and fruits was common to all states and asked the Centre to place before it the orders passed by other high courts in similar matters to help it pass a comprehensive order.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said similar issues have come to fore in other states as well and various high courts have passed certain directions in these matters.
"This is an issue in almost every state. Same issues were considered by other high courts. You can place the orders of other high courts. We want to pass a comprehensive order. This is a matter of public interest. We want to have the advantage of going through the directions passed by other high courts in these matters," the bench said.

One of the counsel told the court that recently the Andhra Pradesh High Court has passed an order in a similar matter.
The bench asked the Centre and other parties to place before it the orders passed by the high courts on such issues and posted the matter for hearing on January 11 next year.
Earlier, the bench was informed by amicus curiae, appointed by the court to assist in this matter, that many countries have banned the import of vegetables and fruits from India due to the excessive use of pesticides.

It was apprised that in a number of vegetables and edible items, pesticide residue was found to be beyond permissible limits.

The report filed by the amicus curiae had said the issue of pesticides was not only limited to Delhi but was a pan- India problem which needed to be addressed by authorities at the earliest.
The court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of a media report and directed the Agriculture Ministry to set up a committee and frame guidelines to prevent use of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables.
The move had come after some NGOs had submitted surveys that vegetables and fruits sold in the city markets contained pesticides capable of causing cancer and harming the nervous system and liver.

One of the NGOs had claimed that out of the five internationally-banned pesticides, four were found to be common in the vegetables sold here, including a central nervous system toxin endrin which caused nausea and dizziness and heptachlor that could damage the liver and reduce fertility.