SMC flouted rules, lied about sample testing?

Food adulteration row

SMC flouted rules, lied about sample testing?

Srinagar: Srinagar Municipal Corporations high flying and controversial Health Officer, Dr.Shafqat Khan is likely to face music over his role in the food adulteration row involving leading spice and milk brands of the valley. The documents accessed and in possession of The Kashmir Monitor show that SMC had issued contradictory statements about the seizure of samples and had overt stepped legal procedures while dealing with the matter.

In one document the SMC’s Health Officer has mentioned that the sample of Sounf powder was lifted from a Kiryana Shop at Nowshara Srinagar on 31/10/2013 while the seizure memo of the same sample shows the date of lifting as 30-09-2013,thus raising serious questions marks over the entire process of sampling.

Moreover, the document lying with Kashmir Monitor reveal that the report of the Food Analyst of the SMC in his report dated 10-10-2013 cleared the same sample as fit for consumption. If SMC had cleared the sample as OK then what was the need to go for retesting to Kolkatta?

Last Month, Srinagar Municipal Corporation had appealed people to refrain from using or consuming Saunf powder manufactured by M/S Kanwal Agro Food Industries calling it unsafe and hazardous for health.

So far none of the two companies have been served a formal notice by the government except public notices issued in local newspapers. Also so far there is no formal letter of complaint against the two companies on record and the SMC seems to have taken action unilaterally.

In a reply to SMC’s report, the manufacturer had blamed Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for trying to malign the image of the company. “The department has violated the norms as under section 47 (1) (a) which directs the concerned officer to serve the notice on Form VA to the manufacturer for lifting of the food samples,” Director Kanwal group of industries, Farooq Amin had said.

The group says that the sample has been mishandled while transferring it for the lab test. “Public Analyst Kashmir had termed it fit for consumption. But the SMC later sent the sample to a Kolkata based laboratory for further testing and during this time it was found adulterated. We are sure something is fishy”, the reply states.

Various reputed laboratories like ARBRO, FICCI Research and Analysis Centre and Shriram Institute for Industrial Research have given clean chit to Sounf powder.

Under section 47(1) (b) and rules of 2.4.1(10) (i) and (ii) the Food Safety Officer is required to lift the four parts of the sample, whereas the concerned food safety officer has collected only one packet of Sounf powder weighing 500gms for which payment has made, which is again in contravention of provisions of Food safety and Standards Act 2006 and rules that under as he was required to lift four packets of Sounf powder having same batch number.

While justifying the discrepancies in the reports, Health Officer SMC, Dr Shafqat Khan said that the said spice brand should approach to the court rather than complaining to the media. “There could be some clerical error but the laboratory report has mentioned that the powder is unsafe and hazardous for health that is more important,” he said.

“The matter is sub-judice in the HC; it is the wastage of exercise by publishing in the newspaper as it won’t help them,” Khan said.