Sir,
Kindly refer to the news “HC castigates Govt on food adulteration” (DE 26th April, 2016).While rejecting the compliance report of the concerned authorities court observed to the State Counsel that “people do not matter for you but money matters for you.”It is a matter of grave concern that the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS Act 2006) is applicable to whole country including J&K but due to lack of scientific facilities for checking and testing the contaminated food items like food testing laboratories, equipments, manpower both technical and non- technical the situation of adulteration has been aggravated. Due to consumption of different food items which are contaminated and carcinogenic, lakhs of people suffer from terminal diseases in our state.
It is pertinent to mention here that Court on last date of hearing had sought information regarding number of officers/ officials who are required to be posted in terms of FSS Act 2006 and how many such officers have actually been placed. Court had also sought full particulars of all those persons/companies/ corporations etc who are manufacturing and processing any food items in the state and how many of them have been convicted and sentenced under the FSS Act. But in compliance report no such information was submitted except intimating the location of two testing laboratories one is situated at Dalgate Srinagar and other one at Patoli Mangotrian, Jammu. It is submitted that four years ago an assurance was given by the Govt in one of the PILs dealing with the issue that there would be full- fledged Food Commissioner in a short span of time but till now no such Commissioner has been posted and Commissioner/ Secretary Health and Medical Education is holding additional charge of the Food Commissioner. This shows that how much the Govt of the state is serious about the health of the people of the state. Govt has enough money to purchase new vehicles for the ministers and other VVIPs but has no money to install new food testing laboratories, equipments, manpower etc to save the precious lives. Let us all hope that the present Govt will take some remedial measures to arrest the menace of food adulteration in the state to provide pure and hygienic food after proper checking and testing.
Yours etc…..
S.S.Jamwal, SAO (Rtd)
New Plots, Jammu
Kindly refer to the news “HC castigates Govt on food adulteration” (DE 26th April, 2016).While rejecting the compliance report of the concerned authorities court observed to the State Counsel that “people do not matter for you but money matters for you.”It is a matter of grave concern that the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS Act 2006) is applicable to whole country including J&K but due to lack of scientific facilities for checking and testing the contaminated food items like food testing laboratories, equipments, manpower both technical and non- technical the situation of adulteration has been aggravated. Due to consumption of different food items which are contaminated and carcinogenic, lakhs of people suffer from terminal diseases in our state.
It is pertinent to mention here that Court on last date of hearing had sought information regarding number of officers/ officials who are required to be posted in terms of FSS Act 2006 and how many such officers have actually been placed. Court had also sought full particulars of all those persons/companies/ corporations etc who are manufacturing and processing any food items in the state and how many of them have been convicted and sentenced under the FSS Act. But in compliance report no such information was submitted except intimating the location of two testing laboratories one is situated at Dalgate Srinagar and other one at Patoli Mangotrian, Jammu. It is submitted that four years ago an assurance was given by the Govt in one of the PILs dealing with the issue that there would be full- fledged Food Commissioner in a short span of time but till now no such Commissioner has been posted and Commissioner/ Secretary Health and Medical Education is holding additional charge of the Food Commissioner. This shows that how much the Govt of the state is serious about the health of the people of the state. Govt has enough money to purchase new vehicles for the ministers and other VVIPs but has no money to install new food testing laboratories, equipments, manpower etc to save the precious lives. Let us all hope that the present Govt will take some remedial measures to arrest the menace of food adulteration in the state to provide pure and hygienic food after proper checking and testing.
Yours etc…..
S.S.Jamwal, SAO (Rtd)
New Plots, Jammu
It is not the question of FSS Depaqrtment. The entire department is interested in making money. NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN REMOVING ADULTERATION. No Food Safety Officer dare to go small premises selling adulterated goods openly because they will not get money from them. This department will run in this manner only till drastic changes are made in Public Interest.
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