Fill food safety officers’ posts in 2 months: Telangana High Court

The bench also directed the govt to file affidavit on steps taken to control availability of carbide in the market

HYDERABAD: Making it clear that the people’s health should be of grave concern for the government, a division bench of Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) to fill up 36 vacant posts of food safety officers (FSOs), six posts of food inspectors and one post of assistant food controller in two months.

Besides, the bench directed the State government to file an affidavit informing the steps taken by it to control availability of carbide in the market and number of persons prosecuted for misuse of carbide since 2015 to November 30 this year. “The government is constitutionally bound to look after the health and well being of the people”, the bench noted.

Further, it directed the health secretary to file an affidavit regarding the number of posts required to be created to ensure that the people’s health is safeguarded by the government.

The officer should not only consider the number of posts existing in neighbouring states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, but should also consider the number of posts required keeping the State’s population in view and the time required for creating additional posts. Mere correspondence between TSPSC and the department is not enough, but the officers should meet and discuss the issue. Else, the Court would summon the authorities concerned, the bench cautioned.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy was passing this order in a suo moto taken up PIL case based on a news item published in a vernacular daily in 2015 on rampant usage of calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

When the matter came up for hearing, the government counsel informed the court that there was correspondence between the TSPSC and medical and health department regarding filling vacant posts. About 36 FSO posts are still lying vacant out of the 61 posts created by the State, he added.

Not satisfied with the submissions of the government counsel, the bench directed the health secretary to file an affidavit on the issue by January 3. The bench posted the matter to January 6 for further hearing.