The mobile courts continued raiding different shops and food producing factories in the city yesterday amid a strike by food producers in the city.

Bangladesh Khadya Babsayi Parishad (BKBP), including restaurants owners, fast food shop owners, Sweetmeat shops and bakery items producers, observed the first day of their two day long strike programme, terming the mobile court's activities as harassment.

But the government sources said they would continue the raiding.

"The government instructed us to improve the situation in the food sectors. So we are going to continue the drive," said one of the magistrates, requesting anonymity.

The government formed the mobile courts on June 14, following a series of reports published in The Daily Star called 'Eating Dangerously', regarding the adulterated food items. The other newspapers also started a campaign against the food adulteration.

In the first day of the two-day long strike in the food sectors, most of the roadside restaurants and other fast food shops remained closed.

"We also support the government's initiative to check the adulterated food. But we oppose the system by which they are conducting the operation, " said Khandakar Ruhul Amin, convenor of the BKBP.

The supporters of the strike patrolled in the street by car so that no owners could open their food shops. Police arrested nine supporters of the strike as they beat up workers and owners of a bakery and two restaurants from Shiddeshawari.

According to the BKBP, nearly 10,000 shops and food factories remained closed to protest the activities of the mobile courts.

Today the BKBP supporters will stage a rally where they will announce their next programme.

Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, along with other food traders, greeted the government's activities.

Mobile Court
A mobile court led by magistrate Rokanuddoulla yesterday raided factories producing adulterated ice cream and chewing tobacco.

The mobile court first raided the Echo ice-cream factory in Mir Hazir bagh of Demra, where it found the label of Igloo and Kulfi ice-cream and different unsafe chemicals.

"We produce the ice-cream just with flour, gur and spice," said Ali Akbar, a worker of the factory.

The court sent him to one month of vigorous jail and fined him Tk one thousand. The courts also issued a summons against Bashir Miah, the owner of the factory.

The court then raided a chewing tobacco factory, which used to produce fake 'Hakimpuri Zarda' a popular brand in the country. But the factory was closed, so the court broke down the lock and seized different chemicals inside.

Another mobile court led by ABM Abdul Fattah raided four bakeries, one restaurant and a small cooking oil factory, sending two bakery managers to jail for three months, and the chief executive officer of the oil factory to jail for one year. They also fined another bakery Tk 10,000, and another restaurant Tk 5,000. Workers at Moon Food Bakery fled from the mobile court, which later issued a summons against its owner, Abdul Kadir.

Our Chittagong office adds:
A mobile court here yesterday fined Tk 1,30,000 to four firms and sent a bakery manager to three-days' imprisonment for having unhygienic environment, selling stale food and mixing toxic colours with sweetmeat.

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) magistrate Shafiqur Rahman during the daylong drive dumped about 10-maunds of stale sweetmeat from Shaad Confectionary into Karnaphuli water. He raided the main factory of the city's prominent baker at Omar Ali Market in Chaktai and found the workers mixing colours in sweetmeat.

He instantly arrested bakery manager Habibur Rahman, who confessed, realised Tk 55,000 and sent the manager to jail for three days.

The court then raided two branches of Cafe Zaman at New Market area and found the restaurant authorities preserve rotten food in dirty places for sale. The two hoteliers were fined Tk 35,000 for the crime.

Magistrate Shafiqur fined Tk 25,000 to Ching Lung Chinese restaurant near Cafe Zaman for selling stale and unhealthy food to customers. He also penalised Tk 15,000 to Maloncha restaurant of the same locality for failing to show a BSTI license and other legal documents.

"We are getting surprised to discover to our disbelief how some well known firms of the city could do such crimes, at the expense of common people's health risk," the magistrate told The Daily Star.

He said the on-going drive is achieving its result as well as raising consumer awareness. "The trend to dine at Chinese restaurants has already come down," he added.