Mohali district police, in conjunction with the district health department, raided a manufacturing unit in Industrial Area, Phase VII on Tuesday. They were allegedly making spurious food products. The police have arrested Kishan Chand Bansal, his son Sonu Bansal and their employee Suresh Kumar on charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy and offences punishable under the Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 16/1/A of the Prevention of Food Product Adulteration and Trade Act. The accused have been remanded in police custody for two days. Singh was on patrol duty near old Amartex Chowk in the early morning hours when he got a tip off about the unit. Acting swiftly, he called up Mohali Civil Surgeon Dr PK Mittal, who, along with the District Health Officer Dr SP Surila and two teams headed by Food Inspectors Dr Rajiv Bhalla and Dr Iqbal Krishan, rushed to the spot and assisted the police party to raid the unit. Singh disclosed to Newsline that hundreds of quintals of spurious and adulterated food including 150 quintals of desi ghee, 5 quintals turmeric, 2 quintals red chilly, 1-quintal coriander powder and 9 quintals of tea leaves were seized from the spot. The unit was not only playing with public life but also causing heavy losses to the state exchequer with its illegal trade. Dr Surila informed that the Food Inspectors have collected 6 samples, including 2 of desi ghee and one each of red chilly, coriander powder, turmeric and tea leaves under the provisions of the Food Adulteration Act. The samples would be sent to the government laboratory for examination to ascertain their contents, following which appropriate legal proceedings would be initiated. Suspicious items seized The district health authorities were stunned to find broken rice stock and red powder along with the adulterated food items. It is suspected that these were used in the adulteration of red chilly and other spices, revealed the District Health Officer. No name, single grinder Despite undertaking large-scale manufacturing, the unit had no signboard in its name. The district health authorities were shocked to find a single grinder at such a big unit. New course for doctors A ten-week Professional Development Course (PDC) in Management, Public Health and Health Sector Reforms for the district-level Senior Medical Officers, was inaugurated by Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Professor Laxmi Kanta Chawla at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare (SIHFW) in Phase VI on Tuesday. Secretary of Planning and Mission Director Satish Chandra, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Tilak R. Sarangal, Secretary Health, and Managing Director, Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC), were also present during the occasion. Dr J.K Dass from the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, (NIHFW), Delhi, attended the programme on behalf of the Union Health Ministry. ENS