PMC okays re-starting of NBCL-accredited Mundhwa laboratory

The laboratory was started by the PMC in 2011 to test food and water samples for public and government authorities and was the first to get a National Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NBCL) accreditation in 2015

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has finally given clearance for its laboratory in Mundhwa to run food and water tests on Monday. The laboratory has been laying idol for the last two years, with the PMC suffering a financial loss thereof.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has finally given clearance for its laboratory in Mundhwa to run food and water tests on Monday. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Civic activist Vivek Velankar has been raising the issue for the for last few months.

The laboratory was started by the PMC in 2011 to test food and water samples for public and government authorities and was the first to get a National Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NBCL) accreditation in 2015.

An inquiry under the Right to Information (RTI) found that the laboratory was run by a private agency for five years till 2018. A renewed proposal to rent out the laboratory to private players was approved by the standing committee in 2019, but has been awaiting the general body’s approval ever since.

Earlier, the PMC was paying a private agency around ₹53 lakh per annum to run the laboratory. Till 2018, the PMC paid the agency ₹3.56 crore to run the laboratory. The corporation also spent around ₹60 lakh on chemicals, electricity bills and other expenses during this period.

Now the agency which operates the lab will pay the PMC.

Velankar, founder of the city-based Sajag Nagrik Manch, said, “The PMC started a laboratory and provided a facility to test food and water samples for the public and government authorities. It was run by a private player till 2018. Objecting to the wastage of public money, the PMC tabled a proposal in the standing committee to rent out the laboratory to private players so that it would get ₹30 lakh per annum in revenue. The proposal was sanctioned in July 2019 in the standing committee. But, it is pending approval of the general body and the PMC is losing out on revenue since 2019. It is a waste of taxpayers’ money that was used to set up a laboratory to provide facilities to common citizens.”