Food and Drug Testing Laboratories: Instead of equipments, Govt funds used to construct conference hall

KL News Network

Srinagar

Throwing rules to winds and making mockery of the government endeavor, Drug and Food Control Organization instead of upgrading Food Testing and Drug Laboratories at Dalgate has been spending government funds for decorating and renovation of Conference Hall and rooms. The Government had allocated Rs 6 Crore for the up gradation of Food Testing Laboratory at Dalgate Srinagar, but ironically the department instead of using the allocated funds for the up gradation purposes, has constructed new Conference Hall and renovated and repaired the existing rooms.

“We don’t know why the allocated funds were not utilized for the up gradation of food testing laboratory. We follow the directions that come from the top,” a couple of employees at the Dalgate office told local news agency CNS. They admitted that rules have been thrown to winds but added that they only follow the directions from their superiors.

The employees revealed that a Drug Controller Office is being coming up here as well while both food and drug testing laboratories need secrecy.  “We were told that an order has been placed to procure the equipments for both the food and drug testing laboratories but fail to understand where those equipments will be placed,” said an employee wishing not to be named.

Pertinently, the government had decided to upgrade the Kashmir’s lone food testing laboratory to check the menace of food adulteration. The Dalgate Food Testing Laboratory has archaic equipments that cannot even detect microbial growth in food samples as there is no microbiology section therein. There is no set-up to test the presence of heavy metals in food or water.

Controller Drug Lochika Khajuria who sits in Jammu said that only Rs one crore has been spent on the renovation and construction of Conference Hall and rooms while an order for laboratory equipments worth Rs 5 crore has already been places and these equipments will be soon procured.

 

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