News
Health hazard
View(s):Story and pix by Nilan Maligaspe
Fruits and vegetables especially if eaten raw can be extremely beneficial to our health. However, spoilt fruit can cause deadly forms of diarrhoea which could even lead to death.
Unfortunately, unscrupulous traders as seen in our pictures are involved in selling spoiled and rotten local and imported fruit for consumption as well as for preparation of illicit brew.
The authorities on occasion do make efforts to stop this trade, -police officers order spoilt fruit to be dumped in garbage trucks- but the trade continues.
Our photographer caught on film some of those involved in the sale of spoiled grapes which are sold to unsuspecting passengers at the Pettah bus halt.
Wimal Perera sells packeted fruits in buses. He said there was a big demand for the juicy delicacy especially among parents who purchase the fruit for their children.
“Grapes are considered a luxury fruit and parents want to give their children the best,” he said.
 A deadly mix at a wayside 'packeting centre': Dust, Grime, dog fur and grapes… only the best for our children |
 A vendor cuts individual grapes which are packeted |
 On occassion vendors retrieve dumped food unfit for consumption once policemen leave |
 A seller of food unfit for consumption is ordered away after dumping his ware into a garbage bin |
 In search of the gullible: A vendor enters a bus at the central bus halt in Pettah |
 A policeman orders a seller of rotten fruit to get rid of his contaminated goods |
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus