Social cause: Retired bureaucrats help set up food testing laboratory in Indore

INDORE: A Centre-funded food testing laboratory is in the offing in Indore at the initiative of retired bureaucrats, who have come together for a social cause under an NGO - Centre for Consumer Protection Research and Awareness (CCPRA).
The state-of-the-art laboratory, which would come up on the campus of Oriental University here, is expected to be functional within six months.
"The laboratory is being set up under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and would be empowered with special surveillance powers to carry out testing and inspection of samples of food items across Madhya Pradesh," said a former IAS officer, K S Parmar, who is the organizer of CCPRA. He further said that since the laboratory would be accredited by the government of India, the report prepared by it would be valid in the court of law.
The demand for the laboratory arose from the fact that Indore has become a hub of manufacturing and sale of adulterated food items. During festive seasons, the district administration and the civic body jointly carried out raids seizing large quantities of adulterated food items.
"This would be an added help to the authorities as the laboratory can suo motu collect samples and test them," said Parmar.
Moreover, Madhya Pradesh being dry-port area, the food items meant for export and import can be tested at the proposed laboratory for a fee.
"Though, the laboratory would be solely funded by the ministry of food processing, the maintenance and running cost of it will have to be borne by the private Oriental University," he said.
The CCPRA applied for the laboratory under a Union government scheme for setting up of food testing laboratory.
"We are happy to house the laboratory," said Dr Narendra Virmani, vice-chancellor, Oriental University. He assured all cooperation for setting up the laboratory. The scheme has a provision to allow a state government or any recognized university to set up the laboratory.
"In Madhya Pradesh, there is only one state laboratory for referral and food testing at Bhopal. So there was an urgent need for another one," he said.