Govt directs removal of Khyber milk products from market

Inquiry ordered against 2 FS officers

Fayaz Bukhari

SRINAGAR, Apr 6: Government today directed removal of milk products, being manufactured by the M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited, from the market till they are declared safe for human consumption by the Referral Laboratory Kolkata. It has also attached two officers of the Food Safety Department and ordered inquiry against them.

The Commissioner Food Safety, Dr M K Bhandari, today directed (Order No. HD/Legal/Drug/MR-56/2016 dated 05-04-2015) the Controller Drug and Food Control Organization to remove milk products of M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited from the market till they are declared safe for human consumption by the Referral Laboratory Kolkata where samples of the food products of company are being sent for testing.

The order reads: “…you shall immediately have all the milk products being manufactured by the M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited, village Ladhoo Lethpora tehsil Pampore, district Pulwama taken off/removed from the market in the J&K. This shall, inter alia, include wholesalers, retailers, milk booths etc from where these products are likely to be circulated in the market for human consumption. This shall be ensured till the products manufactured by the M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited are declared to be safe for human consumption based on the test reports to be received from the Referral Laboratory Kolkata as per the established procedure under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Rules and Regulations made there under.”

Dr Bhandari ordered immediate sampling of the Khyber Milk products and their testing at the Referral Laboratory Kolkata. “You shall, accordingly, ensure that samples of all kinds of milk products including oil, ghee, curd etc and other milk products available in the market as manufactured by M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited are collected and sent for testing without any delay to the concerned labs/ Referral Laboratory Kolkata as per established procedure under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2008 and Rules and Regulations made there under”, reads the order.

The Food Safety department today collected 29 samples of milk products of M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited from the State and they will be sent to the Referral Laboratory Kolkata for testing.

The Commissioner Food Safety has also directed the Controller Drug and Food Control Organization to submit daily reports on the action taken against the company to ensure that no unsafe food products are left in the market.

In the meantime, Health and Medical Education Department has attached two officers, who had given clean chit to the company products, with the office of Deputy Controller Drug and Food Control Organization Kashmir and ordered time bound inquiry against them.

The Government order (No HD/Legal/Drug/MR-56/2016 dated 06-04-2016) reads: “Pending detailed enquiry into the conduct of Hamidullah Dar, Assistant Controller Food and Zahoor Ahmad Baigh, Food Inspector, the two officers are hereby attached with the office of Deputy Controller Drug and Food Control Organization Kashmir, Sumit Singh, I/C Public Analyst shall hold the charge of Public Analyst, Kashmir in addition to his own duties”.

The Incharge Deputy Controller, Drug and Food Control Organization Kashmir, Irfana Ahmad, has been appointed as inquiry officer to inquire all aspects of the conduct of the officers in discharge of their duties and in specific reference to the court judgment. The officer has been directed to submit detailed report in 30 days.

In the meantime, the M/S Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited, continued its operation for second consecutive day today in violation of court orders. They distributed thousands of litres of milk and thousands of kilogrammes of curd in the market.