Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, March 20: It seems that lack of well trained as well as qualified staffs and proper laboratory has made the Food Safety unit completely toothless.
Public allege that if the Food Safety unit is unable to do, what it is supposed to do, then why it is functioning in the first place. The Administration should keep the unit closed until proper staffs and equipments are provided to the unit.
Last week, several people fell victim of Fish Poisoning but surprisingly not a single sample has been sent to any lab in mainland for analysis. Adding to the dismay even without sample analysis it was declared that the Fish Poisoning was because of the wrong selection of fish.
A large number of fish lovers allege that harmful chemicals are being used to preserve food in Andaman but the Food Safety Unit has not come out with any concrete denial or acceptance of the fact,yet.
When Andaman Sheekha contacted the designated Food Safety Officer recently, it came to the knowledge that the department is not having any lab here and since 2001 the department is also not having a Food Analyst.
Andaman Sheekha also came to know that due to some strict recruitment rules in recruiting Food Analyst the Administration couldn’t recruit a Food Analyst but even though since so many years the Administration didn’t even took the pain to amend the recruitment rule for the said post.
Andaman Sheekha tried to connect with the Commissioner Food Safety for two long days but unfortunately he was not reachable for a comment in this regard and hence it was not known that why the Administration is not having a Food Analyst yet.
Hopefully before any major food poisoning case in Andaman, the Administration will wake up and equip the Food Safety units with proper equipments and trained staffs so that Islanders feel themselves safe.
