Srinagar: The J&K High Court on Friday granted three weeks to state authorities to file status report on implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
The court granted this time after Advocate General DC Raina assured the court that the implementation of the Act will be done and accordingly a report will be placed before the court.
Meanwhile, a compliance report on behalf of the Commissioner Food safety was submitted to the court. The report stated that 32 posts have been sanctioned for Food Safety Laboratories. To overcome shortage of technical staff, food safety officers of Food and Drug Control Organization and Junior Technicians deputed from Directorates of Health Services in Jammu and Srinagar have been placed at the disposal of the Food Testing Laboratories at Srinagar and Jammu. Also, one post of Senior Lab Technician has been referred to the Services Selection Board.
It was also submitted through the report that with regard to implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, a meeting under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary to Government, Health & Medical Education, was convened on 24 October, 2018, in which it was decided that there is need for revisiting of the proposal to amend recruitment rules in view of the reorganization proposal moved by the department.
It was also pointed out in the report that 2,054 samples have been tested during the current year of which 582 have been declared unsafe. Moreover, 465 surveillance samples have been tested in mobile food testing vans and 51 awareness programmes have been conducted.
It was also submitted that 568 prosecutions have been initiated against defaulters during the current year and 428 cases have been decided after imposing penalty to the amount of Rs 37,74,200 and 1,480 cases are pending before different courts.
In the report it was mentioned that the Assistant Food Safety Commissioner has seized stock of 1,500 litres of mustard oil in loose form and 200 cans of mustard oil in package form which have been declared substandard and misbranded, respectively.
After going through the report, the division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal remarked that proper implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is required.
“We also direct that trial of these cases be taken to proper conclusion and report be filed before this court,” the Chief Justice ordered.
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