Despite a series of drives on city bakeries and confectioneries, bakers are still using burnt lubricants and unsafe chemicals in chanachur and bread, and also mixing rotten products with good ones.

When members of the mobile court, led by magistrate Rokan Ud Doulah, reached Chistia Bread Industries in Mazar Sharif Road of the Postogola area, they observed a seriously unhygienic environment, a source present with the court said.

"We saw the workers were making the flour for the bread without gloves and their sweat was dripping in to the flour. Their clothes and hands were also very dirty," said the magistrate.

The court also found unsafe chemicals without labels in the factory of Chistia bread.

The court realised Tk 100,000 from Md. Abu Shama, manager of the factory. The court also fined the bakery Tk 10,000 for not mentioning the weight of the product on the packet.

The same court yesterday raided Al Amin Bread and Fruits Industries Ltd. in Postogola, where they found four sacks of rotten biscuits and a large quantity of fake Cocola noodles. The court also found burnt lubricants, which they use to make chanachur crispy and bright.

The factory owner had a registration from the Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) for only three items, but the factory produces at least 15 different items, sources present with the mobile court said.

The court filed a case against Didarul Alam, the marketing manager of the company and fined him Tk 100,000. The court also realized Tk 5,000, as the company does not mention the weight on the package of their products.

Another mobile court led by ABM Abdul Fattah raided four bakeries in the Demra area and fined them Tk 80,000. The court raided Alam Bakery, Shurma bakery, Akota bakery and Mizan bakery in the same area, finding severely unhygienic environments.

Another court led by Mizanur Rahman raided Ekhushey dormitory of the University of Dhaka and different restaurants in the Dhanmondi area, collecting Tk 39,000.

Another mobile court led by Mujibul Haq collected Tk 1,30,000 from different bakeries and restaurant in the Gulshan area.

The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) formed mobile court raided Kazi Alauddin Road and the Azim pur area, collecting a total of Tk 26,300 from Hanif Biriani house, Hazi's Biriani, Hashem Sweetmeat, Azimpur and Mohanchan grand sweetmeat.

Our correspondent in Barisal

adds: Twenty-three food shops were fined Tk 23,000 in continuous drives by mobile courts in Barisal city in the last 48 hours.

K M Wadud and Md. Ibrahim, first class magistrates, accompanied by Jahangir Molla, sanitary inspector of Barisal City Corporation, Mainuddin Ahmed Mamun, representative of consumer association of Bangladesh, led the drives on Wednesday and Thursday.

During the drives, mounds of rotten sweetmeats, different types of adulterated food and fast food items were recovered and dumped into drains. A total of Tk 23,000 was realized in fines from 23 manufacturers, sellers, and stockholders of these items.

Some of the accused were also fined for having an unhygienic environment of their shops and factories.