SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday directed officials to take exemplary punitive action, including initiating criminal proceedings, against those found storing or selling unsafe food.
Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting here to review the ongoing food safety enforcement campaign in the wake of recent seizures of unsafe meat and meat products, particularly in the Kashmir valley.
The chief minister emphasised that offenders posing risks to public health must be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act. He also called for criminal proceedings against the most serious violators.
“The grave problem appears to have remained unchecked and unnoticed for too long. The unscrupulous elements have played with the health and lives of people. This has to stop and those deliberately involved in playing with public health must face the law,” Abdullah said.
“I appreciate officials for launching the drive and exposing the dangerous rot in our food chain. There can be no compromise on public health and the drive will continue. There will be an audit of the departments concerned and the mechanism to stop import, sale and use of the unhygienic meat and other food items,” he added.
To tighten quality control, the chief minister ordered the establishment of entry-point check posts and testing laboratories at Lakhanpur and Qazigund to screen mutton, chicken, and other perishable items entering Jammu and Kashmir.
He also directed that Food Testing Laboratories be set up at every district headquarters, instead of limiting such facilities to Jammu and Srinagar, thereby significantly enhancing the government’s enforcement capacity.
No meat should be sold and used without proper clearance, the chief minister said.
The chief minister urged citizens to approach the authorities concerned rather than taking the law into their own hands. He cautioned against vigilante actions and directed the Food Safety Department to follow due procedure, work with the police for surprise raids, and avoid harassment of traders who comply with safety regulations.
Abdullah also directed that all food distributors, traders, and vendors be registered, bringing them under a formal licensing framework.
An inter-departmental committee will be constituted to ensure coordination, efficiency, and smooth enforcement, particularly for the distribution and sale of safe, hygienic, fresh, and properly labelled perishable items such as meat and chicken, he added.
“Departments have been instructed to verify that meat supplies originate from safe sources, that the cold chain is maintained, and that cold stores are equipped with deep-freezing facilities,” an official spokesman said. He said the chief minister took serious note of the use of harmful chemicals, unauthorised synthetic additives, and colouring agents, stressing their potential health hazards.
