Hoteliers prolong adulteration cases

The commissioner of food safety has registered 117 cases of suspected food adulteration. Violators take advantage of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, that allow a case to go on for years.

There are cases of hoteliers changing the names of their establishments and continuing to run them even as the case is in the court.

“The cases are prolonged because lab reports are not sent to the courts in time. Civil courts need authorised lab reports to establish the guilt or innocence of the party, so unless the report is produced, the case does not proceed,” said Dr G.V. Rao, a DNA analyst.

He said that it was the duty of the GHMC food inspectors to pursue the lab to release the report and send it to the court, but evidently they don’t pursue the matter as they should.

Dr Rao says the method of analysis used by state labs is outdated. “State labs practice the traditional method even when the latest real time polymerised change reaction technology is in place, which releases the report in 48 hours. By the time the large number of samples is analysed, the bacteria die and the sample is unfit for examination. Thus cases of stale food linger on in civil courts,” he said, explaining the delay in prosecuting a case.

Like the Building Tribunal that is being established for speedy disposal of illegal construction cases, the GHMC needs a separate court to look after food adulteration cases.

The GHMC’s health wing is heavily understaffed. Currently, it has two gazetted food inspectors and one food safety officer.

Twenty-six posts for food safety officers have been sanctioned. The latest update on the recruitment is that a letter has been addressed to the government for early recruitment of these 26 food safety officers and the process of recruitment has been handed over to TSPSC and is “under process”.