Nutrition and safety: Lack of funds may restrict food authority to Lahore
Draft Punjab Food Authority bill proposes a five-district set-up.
LAHORE:
The provincial government may set up the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) only in Lahore in the initial phase owing to a lack of funds, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The PFA Bill, which is yet to be presented in the provincial assembly, states that the PFA is to be established in five districts: Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Multan.
The provincial food minister did not deny the suggestion. However, he said that the government intended to implement the PFA Bill throughout the province but might begin with Lahore only, as it was the provincial capital. He said the act would gradually be enforced in other districts. He said funds would be approved once the act was passed by the provincial assembly.
A Food Department official, requesting anonymity, said that the government did not have enough funds to simultaneously set up the authority in all five districts. He said some high officials had recommended that the authority be set up only in Lahore in the initial phase.
He said the food secretary, Irfan Illahi, could be appointed as the PFA chairman. The director general and board of governors would be selected from the secretary-level employees of Food, Health, Finance, Livestock and dairy Development Departments.
He said the PFA would also include two food technologists or scientists and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Under the PFA Bill, he said, a technical advisory committee of experts would be established to set procedures and guidelines for food laboratories.
The official said the authority would have a legal wing to prosecute those charged with violating rules and regulations. He said the cases would be lodged in consumer courts. This, he said, would help the authority establish its writ by imposing fines and other punishments on people found violating the Pure Food Rules of 2007.
He said the authority would have a licence-issuing wing. It would conduct thorough checks of businesses before issuing licences and would ensure that no one operates without a licence, he said. He added that the licence-fee would remain unchanged. The period of validation, however, would be extended from one year to three.
He said there were suggestions to use the provincial Food Department land at Guru Mangat Road for the PFA head office in Lahore.
The official said that food “inspectors” could be replaced with food “security officers” after the PFA was established.
These officers, he said, would be graduates of veterinary sciences, food technologies or pharmacology. They would be hired in grade 16, he added.
Every provincial assembly constituency would have one food security officer. There are 24 provincial assembly constituencies in Lahore. He said the director (Food), a grade 19 officer, would supervise these officials.
Talking to the Tribune, Food Minister Chaudary Abdul Ghaffoor said the department would not terminate any serving official. He said that food inspectors, however, could be assigned some other task while keeping them in the same scale.
He said the department had already sent a summary to the chief minister and that the PFA Bill could be passed from the provincial assembly in a month. He said the funds would be arranged for the authority once the bill was passed by the assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2011.
The provincial government may set up the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) only in Lahore in the initial phase owing to a lack of funds, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The PFA Bill, which is yet to be presented in the provincial assembly, states that the PFA is to be established in five districts: Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Multan.
The provincial food minister did not deny the suggestion. However, he said that the government intended to implement the PFA Bill throughout the province but might begin with Lahore only, as it was the provincial capital. He said the act would gradually be enforced in other districts. He said funds would be approved once the act was passed by the provincial assembly.
A Food Department official, requesting anonymity, said that the government did not have enough funds to simultaneously set up the authority in all five districts. He said some high officials had recommended that the authority be set up only in Lahore in the initial phase.
He said the food secretary, Irfan Illahi, could be appointed as the PFA chairman. The director general and board of governors would be selected from the secretary-level employees of Food, Health, Finance, Livestock and dairy Development Departments.
He said the PFA would also include two food technologists or scientists and representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Under the PFA Bill, he said, a technical advisory committee of experts would be established to set procedures and guidelines for food laboratories.
The official said the authority would have a legal wing to prosecute those charged with violating rules and regulations. He said the cases would be lodged in consumer courts. This, he said, would help the authority establish its writ by imposing fines and other punishments on people found violating the Pure Food Rules of 2007.
He said the authority would have a licence-issuing wing. It would conduct thorough checks of businesses before issuing licences and would ensure that no one operates without a licence, he said. He added that the licence-fee would remain unchanged. The period of validation, however, would be extended from one year to three.
He said there were suggestions to use the provincial Food Department land at Guru Mangat Road for the PFA head office in Lahore.
The official said that food “inspectors” could be replaced with food “security officers” after the PFA was established.
These officers, he said, would be graduates of veterinary sciences, food technologies or pharmacology. They would be hired in grade 16, he added.
Every provincial assembly constituency would have one food security officer. There are 24 provincial assembly constituencies in Lahore. He said the director (Food), a grade 19 officer, would supervise these officials.
Talking to the Tribune, Food Minister Chaudary Abdul Ghaffoor said the department would not terminate any serving official. He said that food inspectors, however, could be assigned some other task while keeping them in the same scale.
He said the department had already sent a summary to the chief minister and that the PFA Bill could be passed from the provincial assembly in a month. He said the funds would be arranged for the authority once the bill was passed by the assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2011.