Delegating authority: Food watchdog set for province-wide operations

Govt approves functioning via deputy and assistant commissioners.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has granted approval to the food watchdog to expand its operations province-wide by delegating powers to deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners.

The Punjab Food Authority currently operates in five main cities Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi. The authority will be now able to operate in the entire province through the DC and ACs.

A month ago, the PFA had moved a summary to the Punjab chief minister and an approval was sent to the cabinet committee. The committee granted approval to the PFA about a week ago.

The proposal had suggested expanding the Punjab Food Authority throughout the province on urgent basis as a makeshift arrangement till the year-end, by which the watchdog hopes to establish its offices in all districts.

The PFA will now place the matter before the authority board meeting to decide the nature of powers it plans to delegate to the ACs and DCs.

In January, the government granted approval to the food watchdog to take over five divisions of the province by 30 June. The authority is in the process of hiring staff and establishing offices in these 17 districts.

The expansion to the entire province, including operational costs, will stand around Rs2.77 billion. Once established, the annual operation costs will be around Rs1.5 billion.

The latest move would replace the pure food rules, in areas which previously were not under PFA’s control, with the recently approved Punjab Food and Safety Standards Regulation 2017.

The PFA is also considering giving posts of food safety officer (FSO) to the ACs and DC in their respective district and tehsils.

As an FSO, the officials will be empowered to fine violators up to Rs25,000. The PFA, however, intends to keep itself as the appellant authority. The watchdog hopes to have 500 FSO for the entire province and an additional 200 such officers in the form of the DCs and ACs.

PFA Director-General Noorul Amin Mengal said the purpose of the move was to empower deputy and assistant commissioners in their areas with respect to food safety regulations.

Even after expansion to the entire province, he added, the PFA will continue to have DCs and ACs as food safety officers with an additional oversight on the PFA setup in their jurisdictions.

Mengal said after receiving the cabinet approval notification, they would place the matter of what powers to delegate to the district officials before the PFA board meeting.

The meeting is expected on May 2.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2017.