PMC, FDA lock horns over Food Safety Act

Pune The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are at loggerheads over implementation of the Food Safety Act after the state government came up with a new rule of a designated FDA officer executing the law through food safety inspector of the civic body.The new rule that came into force on August 5 notified 12 food inspectors and one superviser of the PMC as food safety officer and C D Salunkhe of FDA as designated officer for executing the Act.The designated officer convened a meeting of food inspectors on September 7 and directed them to submit a daily report and take orders for him. The PMC food inspectors requested the designated officer to issue orders through PMC health chief as they were employees of health department of the PMC. "The state has appointed designated officer of FDA for effective implementation of the Food Safety Act. The Food Inspectors have to execute the law under the directions of designated officer and cannot refuse to take orders. If the food inspector fails to take orders and implement the Act then I would recommend the state to denotify him as food safety officer," said Salunkhe.He said the PMC has not officially conveyed to him on the objections raised by food inspectors over taking orders from him. "I have conveyed to the FDA commissioner on the possible hurdles in implementing the Act. I need manpower for its effective execution. Therefore, the FDA commissioner should give staff from the state cadre," Salunkhe said.Meanwhile, the PMC too has decided to take up the issue with the state and urge for appointing a civic official as designated officer for implementation of the Act. "The PMC is a statutory body and has been implementing the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act from 1972. It also effectively implemented the previous laws to check food adulteration," said PMC health chief R R Pardeshi.

The PMC health chief is the administrative head of the food inspectors, while the civic body is paying their salary, he said, adding that the food inspectors are not been included in state cadre.

"There is also no clarification on whether the revenue collected from registration and licences for food manufacturing and processing would be given to PMC. It would be proper to give the revenue to PMC if the responsibility has to be carried out by civic staff and it is also neccessary for every applicant to get clearances from various civic departments," he said, adding that the appointment of FDA officer brings an end to the powers of the civic health chief.He said the PMC food inspectors were effectively performing their duties. The Constitution encourages decentralisation of powers but the new rule is against it, Pardeshi said, adding that the civic official should be appointed as designated officer for implementing the Act. 

source: expressindia.com