"Due to the involvement of magistrates in a large number of cases and insufficient number of police personnel, our drives against food adulteration will be discontinued," said Colonel Md Azizul Haque, the chief health officer of DCC.

The government last year formed a total of 35 mobile courts in a vigorous campaign against adulteration of food in Dhaka City and elsewhere. After a successful drive before and during the Ramadan, the courts resumed the drive on December 26.

The drive has some positive impact on food business in the city, but a section of dishonest businesspeople continue their malpractices even after being punished.

"The situation is of course better than what it was in the past, but the drive was not that much effective," said first class magistrate Rokon-ud-Doulah who led a mobile court.

"Some businesspeople have changed their approach, which is a good sign," Rokon added. "While visiting a superstore in Gulshan for the second time we noticed that standard of their items was upgraded what we hadn't seen during the first drive."

A high official of a mobile court said every businesspeople should know about the rules and laws related to his trade and they should follow the rules strictly.

However, some sweetmeat and fast food shop owners are unhappy about the mobile court drive. They said the mobile courts have fined them despite the fact that there are no specific rules regarding maintenance of hygiene and use of chemicals in food items.

Selim Muzaffar Ahmed, one of the directors of a shopping complex on Kuril Biswa Road, said, "The drive is definitely a positive initiative, but a clear guideline is needed so that the businessmen are aware of their faults."

When contacted, Md Mokhtar Ahmed, a magistrate who led a mobile court, said: "Every shop owner has legal right to appeal against the mobile court's judgement. But in most cases they don't appeal and it proves that they are guilty."

Finding widespread irregularities and unhygienic situation in food business, the government formulated the Pure Food Act, 2005. The new law has the provision to fine the adulterators from Tk 75,000 to Tk 2 lakh and sentence them to maximum three years in jail.

The drive against food adulteration slowed down after the Eid-ul-Fitr due to the vast administrative activities for Saarc Summit and the countrywide panic caused by serial bomb blasts. After a break of two months, the mobile courts resumed the drive in December.

"We were in action during the month of Ramadan. The overall standard of food items selling in the city is now better than before. So the drive can be slowed down gradually," a high official of DCC said on condition of anonymity.