E-Paper
44 food samples collected: Patiala health dept yet to get quality test reports
Officials say health teams are raiding units, collecting samples and sending them for testing; residents complain that the process is too slow
Even as the district health department has collected around 44 samples of food from sweet shops and eateries across Patiala this month, they are yet to get quality reports.
To check sales adulterated food items during the ongoing festive season, the department had launched a drive.
All samples have been sent to a laboratory in Kharar for quality testing, however, the test reports of the samples are yet be received by them.
According to the health department, it will take around 15 more days for the results to be sent to them. Residents, meanwhile, are blaming the department officials of lackadaisical approach and slow pace of work. Locals are complaining that this gives a free hand to the offenders to sell spurious and adulterated food items, thus posing a threat to the health of Patiala residents.
Ramanpreet Singh, a resident of Majithia Enclave, said, “There is a need to speed up the testing process of samples. If the reports come after the festival, what is the point of sampling and the entire drive.”
District health officer Satinder Singh said, “The teams had collected 44 samples of food and dairy products this month, which were further sent for quality testing. But we are yet to receive the results.”
He added that on Friday, they raided four sweet shops in view of the festival season. These shops include Hari Om Sweets Workshop, Jaggi Sweets Workshop, Shivani Sweets, and New Jaidka Sweets at Gurbax Colony in Patiala. As many as 10 food samples were collected, he said.
