CM launches clean plate mission

Srinagar, Aug 11: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday directed exemplary punitive action against those found storing or selling unsafe food, emphasising that offenders posing risks to public health must be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

Chairing a high-level meeting to review the ongoing food safety enforcement campaign in the wake of recent seizures of unsafe meat and meat products, particularly in Kashmir, CM Omar 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,” he 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 concerned departments and the mechanism to stop import, sale and use of the unhygienic meat and other food items,” the CM said.

To tighten quality control, he 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.

CM Omar directed that food testing laboratories be set up at every district headquarters, instead of limiting such facilities to Srinagar and Jammu, thereby significantly enhancing the government’s enforcement capacity.

“No meat should be sold and used without proper clearance,” he said. The CM also emphasised that the Food Safety and Drugs Organisation would be further strengthened to ensure rigorous monitoring and swift action against violations. He instructed intensified inspection drives across all districts, with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) personally leading surprise market checks to ensure strict compliance with prescribed hygiene and quality standards.

“All mobile food-testing vans are to be deployed immediately to support these operations,” CM Omar said.

Acknowledging the justified public and media concern, he urged citizens to approach the concerned authorities rather than take the law into their own hands.

The CM 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.

He also ordered the registration of all food distributors, traders, and vendors, 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,” CM Omar said.

He said that the departments had 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.

The CM took serious note of the use of harmful chemicals, unauthorised synthetic additives, and colouring agents, stressing their potential health hazards.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to take concerted and coordinated action to curb violations in the sale, storage, and distribution of perishable food items, particularly meat, meat-based products, and dairy, ensuring the highest standards of consumer safety and public health.

CM Omar appealed to people to remain vigilant and not to buy any processed meat from unauthorised vendors.

Health experts, including the Director of SKIMS and the Principal of GMC Srinagar, briefed the meeting on the ill-effects of food adulteration and the health risks posed by unsafe food, urging changes in food habits to reduce the rising incidence of chronic illnesses.

The meeting was attended by Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo, Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmed Dar, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Satish Sharma, Advisor to CM Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary Agriculture Shailender Kumar, Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce Vikramjeet Singh, Commissioner Secretary Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Saurabh Bhagat, Secretary Health and Medical Education Syed Abid Rashid Shah, Director SKIMS Dr Muhammad Ashraf Ganai, Principal GMC Srinagar Iffat Hassan, Commissioner Food Safety Smita Sethi, and other senior officials.

The Secretary Health and Medical Education presented details of recent enforcement activities, seizures of unsafe meat and poultry, penalties prescribed under law, and the roles of various departments, including Food Safety, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Agriculture, Industries and Commerce, Home, Housing and Urban Development, and district administration. He also outlined an immediate 30-day action plan involving mapping all food businesses and vendors; intensified inspection drives; public reporting campaigns via Dial 104; community engagement initiatives; and establishing entry check posts at Lakhanpur and Qazigund.