With the state-wide crackdown on the food adulterators continuing in Punjab and food safety teams receiving threats, they have been further empowered by roping in the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff during the raids, besides constitution of special flying squads.
“To safeguard the teams, to boost their morale and to purge the food chain eco-system of the adulterators, special flying squads have been constituted and request has been made to the District Magistrates to tie up at local level to rope in CIA staff in the raids, as and when required,” said the state Food and Drug Administration Commissioner KS Pannu on Sunday.
He said that the pressure on local Food Safety Teams is increasing with the growing momentum of raids. The failure of attempts to keep the inspecting teams away by “paisa or sifaarish” was followed by verbal and physical duels and even manhandling of teams at a couple of places, by the unscrupulous elements,” pointed Pannu.
If the campaign against adulterators has to reach a conclusive end, handholding of the inspection staff is a must, said Pannu, adding that from now onwards, the raids would not necessarily be conducted by a local team but wherever desired, Assistant Commissioners Food (ACFs) from other districts would also be mobilized on directions of head office, with no one at the local level knowing who or for that matter how many other ACFs would join the raid.
On this basis, by coordination with the local Deputy Commissioner, raids were conducted in Sangrur wherein along with the local Food Safety Team and the dairy development officers, ACF and dairy officers from Patiala, ludhiana and Mansa together with CIA staff, Sangrur raided three dairies in Ahmedgarh, said Pannu.
He said that all these dairies supplied milk and milk products to ludhiana. At, Vijay Milk Centre, 500 litres of milk, 105 kg paneer and 100 kg khoya, at Billu Dairy, 200 litres milk, 90 kg paneer, 35 kg khoya and at Khushi Milk Centre, 800 litres milk, 60 kg paneer and 45 kg khoya amounting to 1,500 litres milk, 155 kg paneer and 180 kg suspected substandard was found. Samples were taken by the team and sent for analysis to the State lab. The raids concluded at around 2 am, which speaks volumes of sincerity of the Food Safety Teams and that of Tandrust Punjab Mission.
Earlier, a raid was conducted by Hoshiarpur Food Safety Team at the house of FBO who fearing action had changed his modus operandi and was working from his house without any license for the same.
In this early morning raid along with Deputy Director Dairy Development, about 150 kg of sub standard paneer was found. Similarly, about 15 kg of foul smelling stale sweets were found on a sweet shop and destroyed on the spot.