3 months ago
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Kerala’s archetypal Food Analytical and Research Laboratory, announced with overmuch fanfare nether the Food Safety department, continues to stay non-operational adjacent 5 years aft its inauguration.
The laboratory, whose instauration chromatic was laid by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan connected February 28, 2019, and inaugurated by past Health Minister K. K. Shailaja connected October 24, 2020, is yet to person a afloat functional imperishable gathering oregon capable facilities.
As per a authorities bid dated February 13, 2020, onshore was taken connected lease astatine Valiya Velicham, Koothuparamba, nether KSIDC, and the Public Works section (PWD) was entrusted with construction. Another authorities bid aboriginal permitted the laboratory to relation from a rented impermanent installation pending completion of the imperishable building. However, adjacent aft much than 5 years, operation of the crushed level of the imperishable gathering has not been completed.
According to elder officials successful the Food Safety department, the laboratory continues to run from the rented premises with severely constricted infrastructure. Technical unit were deployed from the Kozhikode Regional Analytical Laboratory—the lone specified installation successful Malabar—under a authorities bid dated September 16, 2020. This redeployment has adversely affected the functioning of the Kozhikode laboratory arsenic well.
The Kannur Regional Analytical Laboratory was designated to analyse nutrient samples from Kannur, Wayanad, and Kasaragod districts. However, owed to the deficiency of capable manpower and precocious investigating facilities, the laboratory has not obtained NABL accreditation. As a result, statutory nutrient samples from these districts are not tested here, and lone drinking h2o surveillance samples are presently analysed.
Officials and stakeholders constituent retired that neither the Food Safety section nor the Left government, which has been successful powerfulness for implicit 9 years, has succeeded successful making the laboratory afloat functional.
For the past 5 years, the Kannur laboratory has been functioning with method unit borrowed from Kozhikode and ministerial unit drawn from different offices. Despite repeated proposals seeking the instauration of 25 imperishable method and ministerial posts, nary favourable determination has been taken, it is alleged.
Food information laboratories are mandated to trial statutory, surveillance and backstage samples. Due to unit shortages, results of backstage samples are not delivered successful a time-bound manner, though officials noted that expanding backstage illustration investigating could make further revenue. Right to Information documents uncover that successful 2025 alone, the impermanent Kannur laboratory earned implicit ₹1 lakh per period from drinking h2o testing.
The laboratory was sanctioned pursuing beardown involution by Ms. Shailaja, making it the State’s archetypal analytical laboratory with probe facilities. However, portion a territory nutrient laboratory was inaugurated successful Pathanamthitta connected November 4 past year, the Kannur installation remains incomplete.
T. Jyothi, a fertile holder for the method adjunct post, demanded contiguous sanctioning of posts, expeditious completion of operation and allocation of funds for the 2nd phase, including the construstion and cognition of probe laboratory.
Meanwhile, K. Sujayan, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety department, Kannur, claimed that the crushed level operation had been completed, and that enactment was progressing successful phases arsenic funds were being allotted successful antithetic phases. He added that the task was being executed by the PWD.
