Jammu, Feb 13, KNT: Twin legislators of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Mubarak Gul and Pirzada Farooq Ahmad Shah, on Friday demanded a detailed discussion in the Legislative Assembly on the growing menace of food adulteration in Jammu and Kashmir, describing it as a mafia more lethal than the drug trade.
Raising the issue during Question Hour, the members said food adulteration directly impacts public health and is contributing to the spread of diseases. They alleged that the Food Safety Department lacks adequate manpower and that dozens of posts are lying vacant, which should be filled on a fast-track basis.
The legislators criticized the department for focusing only on imposing fines without ensuring strict punishment to offenders. They demanded stringent laws providing for severe penalties, seizure of property, cancellation of registration and a complete ban on business activities of those found guilty. They also sought the creation of Joint Directors for Kashmir and Jammu divisions to oversee enforcement, stating that powers currently lie with Additional Deputy Commissioners who remain overburdened.
Responding to the concerns, Minister Sakina Itoo acknowledged limitations in the existing Food Safety Act and said there was a need to address those gaps. She informed the House that Food Safety officials are presently empowered only to seize goods and impose fines, while arrests fall within the jurisdiction of the police.
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The minister as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said the Act would be reviewed to empower officers further and enable stronger action against offenders. She also pointed out that the police department does not presently fall under her ministry, which has affected enforcement. Arrests, she said, are expected once suitable amendments are introduced.
Speaker of the House advised the government to review the Act and table a bill for necessary amendments. Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of Communist Party of India (Marxist) suggested that the Food Safety Department should formally write to the police wherever arrests are warranted.
The issue evoked serious concern in the House, with members calling for urgent and coordinated action to curb adulteration and safeguard public health across the Union Territory. [KNT]
