The Union Health Ministry in a unilateral decision has closed down its Central Food laboratory (CFl) at Ghaziabad in violation of the Food Safety and Standard Act.
Curiously, just two years ago, the Food and Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), an autonomous body under the Health Ministry, had at its Food Authority meeting in 2011 approved the proposal to strengthen and upgrade the lab as National Science Risk Assessment Centre(NASRAC).
It had sought Rs 155 crore for the upgrade of the 40-year-old CFl, serving as a notified lab for testing of imported food articles to Delhi, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, along with international borders of these States.
Outraged at the closure move, NGO lok Jagriti has dragged the Ministry to the Delhi High Court against the decision, taken at the behest of K Chandramouli, chairperson of FSSAI.
The Ghaziabad NGO has also challenged Chandramouli's appointment and alleged "irregular and arbitrary practices" being adopted by him, which, it said, "has rendered the whole purpose and mandate of the Food Safety & Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, redundant."
Taking note of the PIl, the court has now issued a notice to the Health Ministry, besides Chandramouli. The NGO alleged that as suggested by Chandramouli, the Health Ministry transferred staff and CFl (FRSl) lab, Ghaziabad back to the Director General Health Services (DGHS). It added that the move is illegal in the absence of requisite approval from the board of food authority and amendment of the FSS Act rules and regulations.
"As the CFl lab was transferred along with its staff to the FSSAI by the Government through a notification and therefore if the same was to be transferred back to the DGHS, it had to be denotified and that too only after the approval is accorded by the Food Authority Board in its meeting."
This arbitrary action will have serious repercussions on the whole food regime of this country. Moreover, no action has been taken to strengthen existing government labs or increase their numbers. Already existing government labs are deliberately ignored or being closed so that private laboratories can flourish, alleged the NGO.