Who will believe that we all are vulnerable to serious health hazard in the light of criminal disregard by the Government of Food Security Act of 2006? There is no mechanism with the Government and the Food Department to test that the food items supplied in the market are not contaminated and are not injurious to human health. In a PIL before the Divisional Bench of the High Court, the plaintiff arguing the case that Government has not dependable laboratories to test the food told the judge that not only the general public but the Judges too was vulnerable to contaminated food.
Interestingly, the Chief Secretary, who had been summoned by the court to be present in person, deposed that the Government had failed to implement the Food Safety Act and that two laboratories existing in the State at present were both dysfunctional and non dependable. He assured the court that funds would be allocated shortly for creating two testing laboratories with ultra modern technology to test the food.
What we would like to emphasize upon is that why should exceptionally important matters like food testing in which the health of the masses of people is involved be left to the PIL or to chance. Suppose no PIL had been lodged with the court, it would have meant that nobody was going to consider what type of food we were eating. How much damage it has done to the people in the past is incalculable.
We highly appreciate that the court has taken strong exception to an act of the Government that could be detrimental to the health of the masses of people if left without attending. Again it is not enough just to set up two ultra modern testing laboratories. The question is enforcing the Act in letter and in spirit. It is this part of story which the Chief Secretary should have been asked to assure the people. The Divisional Bench has issued highly commendable order that the Government should not wait for the funds from the Centre and should raise funds from its own sources to meet the expenditure on incepting two testing laboratories forthwith.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel