Daily Times

Without carrying out laboratory tests, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has sent back more than 400 food samples to the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) due to nonpayment of laboratory fee.

Sources privy to the development said that the RCB food department had collected more than 400 samples of different food items from different shops and restaurants in the jurisdiction of Cantt board. Some three months ago, theses food samples were dispatched to the PFA laboratory in Lahore, to examine quality of the food items. The authority sent back the samples to the cantonment board due to the nonpayment of the testing fee along with the note to deposit the testing fee while sending the samples for the quality testing.

Senior officer at the food department of Cantonment board while requesting anonymity told that the sample-testing fee was Rs 30 per sample. Few months ago, the laboratory was handed over to the PFA, which has ultimately increased the sample-testing fee from Rs 30 to Rs 3,000 per sample, he noted. He maintained that the department could not bear so much high fee.

Earlier, the RCB had sent 400 samples to the laboratory in Lahore for quality check, which cost Rs 12,000 per month. Every month, at an average 80 samples were found substandard, however after the fee hike the department could not afford to pay 1.2 million rupees as laboratory fee for 400 samples.

Waris Bhatti, head of the food department at Cantonment board Rawalpindi said, “We have brought the issue to the notice of chief executive officer, he will take up the issue with the concerned authorities.”

To a question he replied, the rise in testing fee will definitely affect the department’s performance, but until the case is not decided, we will focus on other issues.

Sources informed, magistrate of cantonment board has sent a notice to PFA regarding the rise in quality testing fee, in which it is stated that according to the Act they cannot increase the fee.

Published in Daily Times, July 13^th 2018.