Paucity of staff at Kandaghat lab hits testing of food, drug samples

SHIMLA: The testing of samples of drug, food items and excise cases at the Composite Testing Laboratory(CTL), Kandaghat, has come to a virtual standstill due to an acute shortage of analysts and technical staff, as 22 posts of lab analysts are laying vacant here.

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 9

The testing of samples of drug, food items and excise cases at the Composite Testing Laboratory(CTL), Kandaghat, has come to a virtual standstill due to an acute shortage of analysts and technical staff, as 22 posts of lab analysts are laying vacant here.

With the acute shortage of analysts at the CTL, Kandaghat, the drug, food and beverages companies in the state are having a free run.

Drug and food inspectors collect samples from these companies to check adulteration of drugs, food and beverages for the safe usage of the public. “But the samples either expire or test reports are delayed due to the shortage of analysts”, said insiders in the Directorate of Health Safety and Regulation (DHSR), which oversees the functioning of the Kandaghat laboratory.

According to the data, out of 31 sanctioned posts, 22 posts of senior lab scientists, technicians and chemical analysts are vacant that has virtually brought the CTL’s functioning to a standstill.

The consumers run the risk of falling ill as the chemically-ripened mangoes, frozen food items, including pastas, pizzas, fried chicken and burgers and other junk food items are being sold in the markets and are in great demand.

But these food items are yet to come under the lens of the Food Safety Standard Act (FSSA) due to the acute shortage of analysts and lack of modern tools of testing at CTL, Kandaghat, the only lab available for testing in the state. “Most of the food items remain “unsampled and untested for their quality as the DHSR remains both unequipped and understaffed to take action against the offenders under FSSA.

There are about 500 cases — 400 under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) and 133 cases under the FSSA pending in various courts in the state. The conviction rates remain less as sample size and testing remains less, said the analysts. Health Minister Vipin Parmar and Chief Secretary BK Aggarwal inspected the laboratory a few months ago. To meet immediate need of the lab, the government has decided to outsource the lab, but no headway has been made so far, said sources.

Naresh Lath, Director, DHSR said he was on election duty in Rajasthan. Dr Mahesh Jaiswal, Officer on Special Duty at the DHSR, said the government was outsourcing staff to meet the immediate demand.